Impact magazine

The magazine for Intelligent Business Systems clients

Issue 9 Winter/Spring 2010

Green’s invests inbest of BritishTopGolfembraces smarttechnology spudulike seesthe big picture EAT appreciatesflexibility

Welcome to Impact 9

News from IBS

2

Green’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar, one ofLondon’s most prestigious fine diningnames, has appointed Intelligent BusinessSystems to install a full EPOS solution at itsnew Cornhill site, located in the grade IIlisted former Lloyds Bank headquarters.

The critically-acclaimed restaurant, originallyestablished by Simon Parker Bowles in theearly eighties in London’s west end, hasinstalled a combination of POSLinktouchscreen technology, PC POS bar andwaiter station terminals, with biometricfingerprint log on, and multiple kitchenprinters for different areas of the twokitchens. StockLink online has also beeninstalled to give the management a virtualhead office and a customised online loyaltysolution.

This is the second Green’s opened bySimon Parker Bowles, who has the backingof fellow shareholders, Lord Daresbury andLord Vestry.

“Green’s effectively has two operations onthe one site. We have a 250 capacitybanking hall bar called ‘The Runner’, areference to the bank ‘runners’ who ranBank of England bonds up until the eighties,and a 136 cover mezzanine restaurant. Theyare serviced by two kitchens and two barsand over 60 staff,” said Green’s businessdevelopment director, Shane Munro.

“While the restaurants have rightly builttheir reputation on fine dining, freshseafood, exceptional wines, whiskies andchampagne, service is equally as important.

Not just from the customer experience butalso in terms of the accuracy and speed oftaking and delivering orders. IBS has helpedus achieve this as well as giving us thenecessary business tools to build on oursuccessful launch, including online loyaltyand account cards,” he said.

“Green’s is a superb, proven brand andwe’re delighted to be involved in thisexciting launch. Our EPOS solution will helpprovide the Green’s team with the tools foran efficient and effective front of houseoperation, whilst also giving them the abilityto add value to their customer relationshipactivities through POSLink’s promotionaland loyalty module,” said Gareth Powell,managing director of Intelligent BusinessSystems.

Green’s banks on IBS technology for newrestaurant launch

A warm welcome to Impact. Inside we highlight several account gains. These include the newprestigious Green’s Restaurant & Oyster Bar in London, south west England cask-ale specialists,Bath Ales, innovative transatlantic TopGolf concept, famous for its smart computerisedmicrochip golf balls, and spudulike, the national fast food takeaway chain, where deliciously filledsteaming hot baked potatoes are selling like hot cakes. Although all four are vastly differenthospitality businesses with their own unique requirements, they share the need for fast, accurateand reliable EPOS and the associated business reporting and intelligence benefits synonymouswith IBS. Like our clients, we’re always looking to enhance our proposition with our owninnovations. Our new kitchen video system and an interval drinks module immediately spring tomind. Both these new developments have evolved through customers identifying a requirementand challenging our development teams to find the best possible answer to help them buildstronger, more effective enterprises. If you want the same, simply ask us. Like EAT did when theywanted to use Stocklink.net to interface elements of its business together.

Dee Powell, editor, Impact Front cover: Green’s Restaurant & Oyster Bar in London. Impact is published on behalf of Intelligent Business Systems (St JamesRoad, Brackley, Northants, NN13 7XY, 01280 709 400) by AFC (www.afc-uk.org, 0161 798 8810). If you have any comments orfeedback, contact me on 01280 709 400 or e-mail me on [email protected]. We’re always delighted to hear from you.

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TopGolf, an innovative, high technologytransatlantic golf concept, has teed up IBSto upgrade the EPOS solutions for its threeUK golf games centres. The new solutionincludes static and Wi-Fi handheldterminals, POSLink touchscreen softwareand a loyalty module to reward members atthe revolutionary new sports entertainmentcomplexes. “Our golf balls have computerisedmicrochips so we can track accuracy anddistance while awarding points for hittingtargets. Golfers can practice their skills,receive tuition and compete with oneanother from a choice of half a dozen great

games that test skills and nerve in equalmeasure,” said TopGolf operations director,James Jenkins. Part of the total experienceincludes a fully licensed food and drinkoffering delivered by ‘caddies’ to the golfsuites. Originally launched in 2000 inWatford, north west London, TopGolf nowhas additional UK facilities in Chigwell, EastLondon and Addlestone, Surrey.

IBS has won a four-way pitch to install anew touchscreen EPOS solution forCrawley Borough Council. The new system,which networks the food and drinkoperations at Crawley’s Town Hall, thepopular Hawth theatre and arts centre andthe Tillgate nature park, includes PC POStouchscreen terminals, POSLink andStockLink software. As part of the contract,IBS designed and developed an intervalsdrinks module for the busy theatre, whichhas multiple performance areas and hostsnumerous corporate events and specialfunctions throughout the year.

IBS has integrated StockLink.net into the existing IT capability of the EAT fast food chain toeliminate variances and introduce good practice workflows. It was selected as the mostappropriate partner for the project after a thorough audit of the EPOS market by EAT head of IT,Rene Batsford. He said: “IBS was more than happy to be flexible and do the integration workunlike many of its competitors. The team could demonstrate they’d done this sort of work beforeand could look after all our needs.”

IBS has developed a bespoke paperless foodpreparation video system for spudulike, thenational fast food takeaway brand serving upfreshly baked filled potatoes in many of the UK’sleading shopping centres. The module strips outthe elements of the order not relevant to staffpreparing food and drink and provides both real-time and historical sales statistics that can beviewed at each site and by the head office,allowing management teams to measure andmonitor sales through the path of potatoes soldper half hour. The food preparation videomodule is an integral component of the core IBSEPOS touchscreen solution, which revolves

around a combination of POSLink andStockLink software. A nutritious, healthyalternative to other quick service concepts,spudulike is a finely tuned small footprintconcept. IBS built its solution around a microtillcomplete with an inbuilt thermal printer to savespace. Each terminal runs POSLink touchscreensoftware with one per unit also hostingStockLink for reporting and stock control.spudulike, originally launched in the seventies,adds tasty fillings like beans, chilli, cheese,chicken tikka and tuna and sweetcorn to bakedpotatoes. It currently has 54 sites and is lookingto add more as it expands its estate.

TopGolf operations director, JamesJenkins, writes about the innovativenew sports entertainment concept on pages 4 & 5

Steve Riddlington talks about theprefect pitch on pages 6 & 7

EAT head of IT, Rene Batsford, explains why flexibility is important to the fast foodchain on pages 8 & 9

EAT eliminates variances thanks to IBS integration

Video system smash hit with spudulike

Bath Ales taps into IBS

News from IBS

Swinging into action with TopGolf

Perfect Pitch at Hawth

Bath Ales, an award-winning craft brewerand independent pub group based in thesouth west of England, has commissionedIBS to install EPOS systems at two of itspubs in Bristol, The Wellington and theGraze Bar & Chophouse. The solutions usePC POS terminals, POSLink touchscreentechnology, kitchen printers and StockLinkfor business sheets, stock control and avirtual head office. As well as a superbbrewery, Bath Ales operates a bottling plantand a brewery shop alongside ten pubs inthe cities of Bristol and Bath. The pubs offera selection of ales, great food and awelcoming, friendly atmosphere. RobinCouling, retail operations manager, said:

“We’re delighted with the installation of thenew EPOS systems as this will give us agreater insight into our business and allowus a fantastic platform for improvedefficiency and growth, as well as thepotential for customer loyalty schemes.”

TopGolf has taken the

concept of the traditional

golf range and transformed

it into an exciting

entertainment leisure venue

for families, friends and

businesses complete

with ‘caddie’ waiter service

and loyalty schemes,

as operations director,

James Jenkins, explains

exclusively to Impact.

RIGHT ON TARGET WITH

TOPGOLF

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At the heart of TopGolf is a computerisedgolf ball, originally developed by three golf-nut guys from Watford to help them practiseon the driving range. As well as beingaddicted to golf, they also loved technologyand came up with a unique concept. Theydeveloped and planted a small, ingeniousmicrochip at the core of an ordinary golf ballto enable the distance and accuracy to betracked and recorded when it was hit attargets on the outfield.

While this was, and still is, a fantastic aid toconventional golf practice and tuition, wequickly appreciated this really smart patentedtechnology had massive potential torevolutionise what a driving range could deliverto its customers. After all, if we can pinpoint theexact distance from the intended target of everyball hit and who struck it, we can also introducescoring and have golfers competing againstone another in the same way as bowlers dowhen they go ten-pin bowling.

And this is exactly what we’ve done with thetechnology. We’ve created half a dozen greatfun games to test people’s chipping, accuracy,versatility, consistency and competitive spirit.Up to four or five players can go head to headin spacious, comfortable all-weather golf bays,or golf suites as we like to call them. Theirscores are shown real-time on large screens,just like ten-pin bowling. They hit balls at anumber of colour-coded targets (which are thesame size as conventional golf greens), eachcolour representing a striking distance fromtwenty yards up to 250 yards. One of thegames is even based on the principles ofsnooker. Once golfers have hit a red target theycan select a colour of their choice. If theysucceed with that shot, they then pick anotherred and then another colour and so on. Thegolfers score ‘breaks’ in the same way assnooker players. It really is great fun. All thegames are designed to entertain and giveendless hours of pleasure.

By transforming what golfers can do, we’vechanged the perception of the golf drivingrange as a limited venue for players to hit ballsby themselves with little or no interaction. In itsplace, we’ve created a revolutionary sportingexperience with the focus on atmosphere andtop class entertainment for family, friends andbusiness colleagues.

Integral to our proposition as a leisure complexis a fully licensed food and drink offering forguests and members before, after or while theyplay. Delivering refreshments quickly andefficiently enhances the occasion and turnshitting golf balls into a memorable event.Corporate hospitality and parties are proving tobe very popular, especially for stag and henparties who want to do something different andtruly memorable.

The first TopGolf complex was opened inWatford earlier this decade. Since then, we’veopened two more TopGolf complexes inChigwell, East London and Addlestone, Surrey.

the most appropriate solution, most notably onthe Wi-Fi and loyalty fronts.

The IBS solution gave us standaloneterminals and Wi-Fi handhelds, the latter arecrucial to us achieving the high levels ofservice for a fast food operation. Waiters andwaitresses, or caddies as we’ve dubbedthem, take orders for food and drink from theteeside and serve direct to the golf suites.Our best sellers are the Proburger at just £8and the £10.95 Kobe burger, although all thefinger food is popular. Throughout theprocess, what I like about IBS is the ability toresolve issues. Wi-Fi over a large area like agolf range was a potential problem but theproject team, led by Justin Atkinson, hashelped us achieve trouble-free transmission.

Loyalty is really important to us as we marketmemberships to our customers ranging from£2 for a month up to £40 per month for PremierUnlimited, which includes 10% off all food anddrink alongside numerous benefits. The loyaltypackage from IBS enables us to encourageadditional spend and give something extraback to our members. We’re currently seeingspending levels at 50% of fee income. Our idealsituation is to double sales so F&B matchesfees. The IBS solution should help us achievethis as we’ve already seen an increase in spendper visit with the new system in place.

We’re looking forward to untapping the fullpotential of the loyalty solution over the comingmonths and continuing our golfing revolution.It’s a great challenge for us all.

Chigwell recently celebrated its one millionthgolfer, giving him a once-in-a-lifetimeopportunity to hit a hole in one and collect acool million quid.

We’re looking to open more and have fundingin place for two or three new venues once wecan find the right locations. Our criteria issimple: the complexes must have plenty ofroom with at least eight acres of reasonablypriced land, be close to large cities with theright demographic mix and have sympatheticplanners willing to grant permission for a two-storey building that can accommodate up tosixty bays. We’ve recently been looking at sitesin Scotland, Birmingham and Newcastle, aswell as closer to home around the M25 corridor.There’s room and demand for at least half adozen TopGolf complexes around the outskirtsof London.

Further afield, the concept has also gonetransatlantic with sites opened in Washington,Dallas and Chicago in the last couple of years.Plans are also afoot to export the idea tomainland Europe and Asia when we find theright business partners.

Our commitment to getting things right extendsto every aspect of our business, including theEPOS solution necessary to drive our food anddrink operations. We’ve used IntelligentBusiness Systems since we opened andrecently upgraded our system to give ourgolfers an even better service and added valuebenefits. We looked at the market to see whatit had to offer only to find IBS outscored thecompetition as it ticked all the right boxes with

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IBS outscored the competitionas it ticked all the right boxeswith the most appropriatesolution, most notably on the Wi-Fi and loyalty fronts.

6

Drama? No drama.. Steve Riddlington is the

catering manager for

Crawley Borough Council,

responsible for the food

and drink operations at

three venues in the town.

Here he describes how

IBS was selected from a

shortlist of four to install

a new EPOS solution.

We decided a couple of years ago we neededto update to touchscreen technology toimprove the speed and accuracy of the servicewe give to hundreds of thousands of peopleusing our facilities every year - whether theyare visiting the busy Hawth theatre for a show,concert or a function, having a bite to eat in theTown Hall or stopping for refreshments whileenjoying the Tillgate nature park.

Before briefing our IT department to draw upthe specification, we had a good look aroundat other similar public and theatrical venuesusing touchscreen solutions. We wanted to beclear what was out there in the marketplaceand how the technology could benefit us.Then the council could put the project out totender.

We had also chatted extensively witheveryone involved within the food and drinkoperation to get their perspective on howthe new EPOS solution could help them bemore effective in the workplace. Forinstance, our four chefs want front of houseorders to be quick and easy to understandwhen they’re cooking over 40 individualmeals in three quarters of an hour. Anyconfusion over orders inevitably slowsthings down and causes confusion.

I should know, I was a fully trained chef in aprevious life.

A short list of four of the country’s leadingEPOS providers was drawn up and invited todemonstrate their recommended solutions tous. To ensure everyone was competing on alevel playing field, we created a panel of fourpeople representing the council, includingtheatre manager, Kevin Eason and myself.

All four of us marked each presentation andsystem out of 150 without any conferring so afair and transparent decision would bereached. Each of us would do our scoringaway from one another. It could have been areal drama, appropriate for a theatre thathosts an eclectic range of events fromtheatre, musicals and concerts to dance,comedy and performance art. However, therewas none of the controversy you’d find on theX-Factor or Strictly Come Dancing.

Intelligent Business Systems came top,even though the quote from the team led byGareth Powell, Mark Bagnall and Levi Bodrawas neither the cheapest nor the mostexpensive. However, from my point of view,the IBS team recommended a system thatmore than met the requirements of ourspecification.

7

Our decision, taken earlier this year, waswell founded, judging from the ease of theinstallation and the acceptance of the newtechnology by our front of house and backoffice staff. The system was up and runningmuch faster than we expected, with staffpicking it up very quickly. Initially, we’d givethem half an hour before the start of a shiftfor them to get used to the system, becausethe vast majority are computer literate, itwas a very smooth process.

Already, the new fully automated system isbenefiting all of us working in the council’scatering department. Thanks to IBS and ourown catering team working together so well,we’ve considerably improved the way we doand approach things.

Visitors to the Hawth can order drinks andfood from wherever they want. Previously,

they had to go to one location for food andanother for the drinks.

A one-step interval drinks module has beendeveloped for us, enabling drinks to beordered by the audience before aperformance so they are ready at a pre-agreed location during the intermission. Thisis a much less time consuming process andis a lot more accurate. Bar staff know when toprepare drinks and where to deliver them.Even better, till receipts are easily read withnone of the issues associated with poorhandwriting or hastily scribbled notes whenthere is a rush at the bar. The only difficultywith legibility would be dropping it into a bowlof water - even then the order can be recalledthrough the touchscreen software.

The flexibility of the system is also one of itschief selling points. As well as the theatrical

shows and concerts, we also cater forweddings, corporate functions and otherspecial events so we can create manydifferent permutations with the terminalsdepending upon on our requirements.

As well a creating as system to give us thecontrol we want across three differentlocations, IBS lived up to its promises on theproject management front. The installationteam, led by Levi, was excellent. He wasalways available to ensure everything ransmoothly. Inevitably, there are one or twoteething problems, but they are alwaysquickly resolved. Indeed, for a venuesynonymous with drama, there was aremarkable lack of it when were installing thesystem, a tribute to the professionalism of IBSand the project team.

..not when it comes to EPOS!The Hawth theatre is an active, popularhospitality venue, attracting close to 200,000visitors every year. Facilities include an 850-capacity theatre and a 150-capacity studio,which can also cater for events and functions forup to 300 people. It’s also a successful cafe andrestaurant in its own right, open Monday toFriday during the day and in the evening whenthere are performances. A team of four chefsoffer a regular menu and a whole host of tastyspecials where they can pick what they want tocook. In addition, they provide a wide range ofcatering for special functions and events at theTown Hall and other venues and locationsthroughout the town.

Thanks to IBSand our owncatering teamworking together so well, we’veconsiderablyimproved theway we do andapproach things.

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EAT was founded 13 years ago withthe ambition of providing the bestfood, soup and coffee in London...atreasonable prices. The two founders,Niall and Faith MacArthur, launchedthe first in Villiers Street, WC2. Theywere bundles of nervous energywithout any industry experience excepta determination to adhere to the mostimpeccable standards.

Today, the less nervous but equallyenthusiastic couple are still at the helm, onlyone store has evolved to one hundred as weroll out the EAT brand. Although the vastmajority are still in the capital, we are nowoperating shops in Manchester, Birmingham,Leicester and Brighton as well as flying theEAT flag at Heathrow, Gatwick, Glasgow andEdinburgh airports.

The reasons for EAT’s success? Customersappreciate the one-day shelf-life of ourdelicious sandwiches handmade in our ownkitchens, using imaginative recipes and topquality, fresh ingredients. Likewise, baguettesare baked in the shops every morning. Soups,pies, salads, wraps, sushi and desserts are allmade by hand for maximum freshness and tosatisfy every eclectic taste. Chicken Pho,Chilli & Ginger Pho, Prawn Tom Yum and thevegetarian option, Gyoza Dumplings, are justa few of the numerous seasonal simple or boldofferings on our menus. We’re just aspassionate about drinks. Our coffee isextracted through traditional espressomachines for 24 seconds by trained baristasand finished to order.

And while EAT may be a bigger propositionthan ever before with more openings in thepipeline as we take our message furtherafield, the company continues to strive forthe highest quality of food, service and shopstandards. Equally, the work we do behindthe scenes is just as important, especiallywith our expansion plans.

I joined EAT a couple of years ago with aretail IT background. Previously, I had beenthe IT director at the 02 Arena and before

that I had spent seven years with cosmeticsproducer and retailer, Molton Brown. Whilemanufacturing and selling shampoos andlipsticks and producing sandwiches mayappear to be worlds apart, the IT principlesfor evolving brands are the same.

My specific brief was to improve our backoffice processes as we were often gettingtwo versions of the truth. In other words, wewere struggling to get our financial positionto match our sales and stock in our shops. Itwas entirely understandable. More oftenthan not, the discrepancies were a result ofhuman error.

Unfortunately, our incumbent back officesystem was responsible for all manner ofblunders. Unless you were an expert atusing the system, it was very easy to makemistakes. As an expanding business, wehad to tackle these processes, eliminate theopportunity for variances and introducegood practice workflows.

We had gone out to have a look at the EPOSmarket to do a comparative study of thevarious providers who had the capacity andprofessionalism to work with a busy,expanding chain like EAT.

Although we had an open mind, the onething we didn’t want to do was junk ourexisting tills. They had plenty of life left inthem and an investment of £1m in newhardware and till licenses didn’t makeeconomic sense even before we were hit bythe worst financial crisis in living memory.Nobody wants to spend for the sake of it.

Inevitably, most of the people we spoke towanted to change our entire estate andadopted a ‘take it or leave it’ attitude if wedidn’t want their off-the-shelf package.Admittedly, while most retail EPOS systemshave elements that work really well, theyoften don’t in their entirety. After all, it’s nogood having a Rolls Royce of a system if itdoesn’t do the complete job you want.

After a while it became clear we wantedsystems integration work, rather thanreinventing the wheel.

Flexibility is keyto improvingEAT processes Rene Batsford is responsible

for IT at EAT, a fast-food

chain with the clear-cut

objective of giving customers

the best, freshest food, soup

and coffee at the most

reasonable prices.

Quality behind the scenes

is equally important,

as Rene explains to Impact.

9

A more flexible approach was needed,which is where Intelligent Business Systemscame in.

While they weren’t a large corporate, GarethPowell and his team did have a considerablereputation in the market place and theexperience in the hospitality sector ofworking with several clients who ran similaroperations and business models to us. Theycould demonstrate a proven track record ofintegration work with clients and showed agood mix of technical and peoplecapabilities. Critically, they were willing tolisten objectively to what we wanted to do,assess it and give us a fair response aboutits achievability.

What’s more, Gareth was almost visionary inhis approach, enthusiastic and progressive,willing to change processes, and work withother developers, to give us the best endresult. It’s a measure of the person and thebusiness that those outstanding qualities areshared within the rest of the IBS team, fromthe project managers to the softwaredevelopers.

Without slipping too much into sales speak,they are very focused on the customer. Justlike EAT is all about the customer. Theinitiatives they recommended were in linewith what we wanted to achieve so therewas a clear synergy between the twobusinesses.

There was common ground from an ITperspective too. The developers, like us withour current solutions, used an SQLdatabase. A standard Microsoft framework

was at the heart of IBS’ StockLink.netenterprise solution. This would greatlybenefit the development work if we wereboth using the same infrastructure.

It was a great decision to use IBS. Thedevelopment work they’ve done, and theintroduction of StockLink.net to our ITcapability, has allowed us to introduce goodpractice by technology.

Staff at the shops find the system’sworkflow processes so much easier andclearer than before. They cannot complainabout a complicated system.

Now, prior to closing up at the end of the day,they have to complete specific tasks such aswrite offs, labour quotas and claims. This rigid,meticulous approach means we’re far less likelyto have variances as the data is automaticallypolled into our financial system. This hasallowed us to remodel processes by eradicatingwasted resources, human error andinefficiencies associated with double entry andthe way we used to do things.

We’re far more focused with our approach,our workflow tolerances, extractions andalerts are now first class. Bespoke orderingand business reporting has considerablyimproved the way we operate and weappreciate Gareth and his team’s flexibilityto cultivate modules within the software tomeet our requirements.

By investing in IBS’s integration talents,StockLink.net software and a flexibleapproach, we have the right processesin place to accommodate our currentestate and future expansion plans.

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Contactless paymentsincreasingly attractiveThis year is the 350th anniversary of the firstever cheque being signed, although it’s highlydoubtful there will be many more, especiallyas many of the UK hospitality retailers look forviable alternatives to this archaic, labour-intensive method of payment. Increasingly, itcosts more to administer a cheque than thenet profit value of small transactions. Oneincreasingly cheaper, faster and more securealternative is the concept of contactlesspayments, which has become readilyavailable for consumers and retailers alike,writes Francois Anseau, who works forchip'n'pin specialists, Commidea.

The contactless payment market has comea long way since the launch of MasterCard’sPayPass and the Visa PayWave in 2007.Last year was critical for the technology.High-profile retailers began to offercontactless payment options to theircustomers, supported by innovativefinancial initiatives from financialinstitutions. At Commidea, we anticipate2010/2011 will see adoption really take off.

Our view is supported by many leadingindustry players. The major banks areleading the way. Barclays followed up itshigh-profile “water slide” TV advertisementwith an announcement this year that new orreissued debit cards will have contactlesstechnology as standard. This will bring morethan three million customers into thecontactless fold by the end of the year.

For the customer, contactless paymentsmake a lot of sense. They are easier, quicker

and more convenient than cash, perfect foreveryday purchases such as coffee beforeor after work, a newspaper for the train orbus, car parking or any other relativelycheap transaction under a tenner. There’sno need to worry about whether you’veactually got the right amount of cash on youor if you’ve received the right change.What’s more, there’s no more searchingaround for a cashpoint machine (which cansometimes feel like waiting for a bus) andnervously withdrawing your money, especiallywhen it’s busy or dark!

It makes equally good sense for the retailer,who can carry out faster transactions,reduce the length of queues, increasecustomer convenience and improve the

quality of the service given to the customer.These benefits inevitably lead to anincrease in transaction volumes and value. Even better news, it’s all very easy to useand perfectly safe. All you need is acontactless payment reader connected to achip'n'pin terminal and you can acceptpayments for total transactions less than£10. Your customers simply ‘tap’ theircontactless-enabled credit or debit cardagainst the reader. If it’s more, the salebecomes a normal transaction. Security isenhanced because after ten contactlesspayment transactions, a customer mustenter their PIN code to limit the risk of lostor stolen cards being used and to prove thecard is with its rightful owner. It really isthat simple.

Software

POSLink gains EFT accreditation POSLink, the intelligent touchscreen softwaresolution designed and developed fornumerous hospitality environments, hasgained EFT accreditation from credit cardprocessing chip'n'pin specialists Commideaand YESpay. The Commidea accreditationcovers standard purchases and transactionsas well as a Wi-Fi and contactless. YESpayinvolves the independent purchase ofequipment and a sliding scale of charges ona per transaction basis.

Q1: How long have you been with IBS?A1: Three years now but it only seems like

yesterday when I was being introducedto the team. Time really does fly,especially when you’re enjoying yourself.

Q2: What is your day-to-day role at IBS? A2: In simple terms, it’s maintaining the

functionality of our EPOS systems atthe premises of our customers, eitherface-to-face or distance supportthrough broadband or the internet.

Q3: What is your approach to your job?A3: I’ve always been up for a challenge.

Mine is to make sure each customergets the best operation from an EPOSsystem. I also consider myself verylucky because my job is also myhobby. IT has always fascinated me. It’s almost in my blood, as you sayover here.

Q4: What is your biggest professionalachievement?

A4: Two projects spring to mind immediately.The successful roll-out of full EPOS

systems in Ireland for Gourmet BurgerKitchen (GBK) and also the Hawth theatrein Crawley, as I was involved in theproject from start to finish. They weregreat people to work with.

Q5: What’s your most difficult professionalmoment?

A5: It was in Ireland when I was in dangerof missing my flight as a job was takinglonger than originally anticipated.Fortunately, my experience enabledme to complete the job to thesatisfaction of the client and make theflight back to England. It was touchand go but when I was on the plane, I thought to myself, that was a job well done.

Q6: What makes IBS special?A6: There is a mutual respect for each

other’s professionalism and knoweldgethroughout the company, a great teamspirit and a very good morale. We’rebusy even in these difficult times andwe have a good client list with somegreat venues.

IBS Profile...Levi Bodra

Name: Levi BodraAge: 30Job title: Epos engineer:

Installation and servicing ofEPOS hardware andsoftware

Education: Five years of InformationTechnology at secondaryhigh school in Hungary

Status: MarriedChildren: None, yetFav’ film: Hunt for the Red OctoberFav’ book: The De Vinci CodeFav’ place: Italy

11

A kitchen video monitor system to eithercomplement or replace the traditionalkitchen printer has been launched by EPOSspecialists, Intelligent Business Systems.Designed to run in conjunction withPOSLink touchscreen software running on astandard TCPIP network, the solution canbe used to control the path of food ordersthrough a busy kitchen and to also providea wealth of statistical data for clients.The latter is configurable to the specificrequirements of any business that runs akitchen and offers food to its customers.

Statistics are provided within a flexibletimeframe, which can be 15 minutes, half anhour or the entire session.They can also be viewed in real-time athead office and back office usingStockLink.net. Historical statistics can alsobe recalled and analysed. The kitchen video can be viewed on a widerange of wall-mounted touchscreenterminals from 10” to 21”. Orders can bepegged or finalised as food is prepared anddispatched. Completed orders can also berecalled.

Starring role for POSLink interval drinks function A clever module designed to beatcongestion at the bar and enable customersto pre-book interval drinks has been addedto POSLink touchscreen software byIntelligent Business Systems. Ideal for thetheatre, concert halls, sports stadiums,conferences and corporate events, the pre-order drinks function allows customers topre-pay for drinks prior to the entertainmentor function starting. A consolidated report iscreated for bar staff so they can preparedrinks ten minutes or so before intervals,half-time and breaks. The solution hasdeliberately been designed to cater for eventhe most complex multiple-theatre venues

where several shows and performances runto different time schedules within the samebuilding. For instance, one bar can take theorder but the drinks can be dispensed in anappropriate area, or at other bars, for theevent. The solution also includes a repeatorder function to speed up the purchasingprocess and to encourage staff to up-sell.“Interval drinks typifies the flexiblefunctionality of POSLink so it can beconfigured to the needs of hospitalityprofessionals while at the same time makingselling easier and faster for operationalstaff,” said Dee Powell, IBS’s commercialdirector.

What’s new?POSLink adds kitchen video solution

Intelligent Business Systems provides EPOS and enterprisemanagement for multi-site hospitality businesses in the UK,Europe and in the USA.

We do it for the likes of the BBC, Gourmet Burger Kitchen,Peach Pub Co, Fat Cat café bars, Geronimo Inns, Revolution,EAT, Bath Ales and John Lewis. And we can do it for you as well.

Call 01280 709 400 email: [email protected] visit www.ibs-systems.co.uk

johnlewis

We’re definitely their cup of tea. And we could be yours too!

Intelligent Business Systems, St James Rd,Brackley, Northants, NN13 7XYTel 01280 709 400 Fax 01280 704 315

FAT CATcafé bar

The Professional’s Choice


Issue 8 Spring/Summer 2009

Nice ‘n’ easy for Eco and Esca POSLink shows loyalty pays StockLink just the ticket for top ski resorts The right ingredients for Moleface Pub Co

IBS_8.qx7:IBS_4 pages_01 29/4/09 11:26 Page 1

Welcome to Impact 8 A warm welcome to the Spring/Summer edition of Impact, which is designed to show you whywe’re the professional’s choice for epos and enterprise management solutions in the hospitality,leisure and retail sectors. As everyone knows, we’re all operating in unprecedented economiccircumstances and we can either react by doing nothing and hope for the best or we canproactively seek to improve the way we do things in our businesses. At IBS, we’ve got thetools to help you do the latter. We’ve launched POSLink to great acclaim and introducedinnovative ways to help our clients increase sales and turnover without having to invest smallfortunes in marketing. You can read about them in this magazine, visit our new website(www.ibs-systems.co.uk) or see us in person at the forthcoming BAR 09 exhibition at Earl’sCourt, London (June 23/24 2009). Elsewhere, our contributors cover the great British gastropub, skiing in Europe and eating out in London. We’re grateful as always for theircontributions. We hope they and we continue to give you plenty of food for thought.

Dee Powell, editor, Impact Front cover: Sami Wasif, owner of London’s Eco and Esca restaurant, takeaway and retail chain. Impact is published on behalf ofIntelligent Business Systems (St James Road, Brackley, Northants, NN13 7XY, 01280 709 400) by AFC (www.afc-uk.org, 0161 798 8810). If you have any comments or feedback, contact me on 01280 709 400 or e-mail me on [email protected]’re always delighted to hear from you.

News from IBS

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POSLink, a fully integrated, feature-richtouchscreen solution, has been acclaimedby hospitality and catering industryprofessionals as one of the easiest to useand manage since its launch at the end oflast year. It’s already proving to be a hit withseveral IBS clients including Cantaloupe,Benugo, Clapham House and MYAConsulting. Feedback has been extremelypositive with many epos professionalslooking forward to untapping the fullpotential of its various modules. ClintWelsh, IT manager at the CantaloupeGroup, which runs top London venues likeCamino, Cargo, the Market Place and theBig Chill Bar, said: ‘Our business is all about giving our customersincredible value formoney so we’re alwaysrunning plenty ofpromotions. These aremade a lot easier andmore effective withPOSLink managing andtracking our discountsand numerous otherexciting offers.’ Thesesentiments are echoedby Carlos DeAbreu,who is responsible forepos systems at theClapham House Group,

the chain responsible for the GBK, RealGreek and Tootsies brands. ‘We’re lookingto cut the amount of work needed to bedone by the front of house staff by at leasthalf, a considerable saving in time andresources through using POSLink’s loyaltymodule,’ says Carlos.

POSLink gets professionalsbig nod of approval

See page 10 to discover the many benefits of POSLink’s loyalty module

ECO & ESCA givesIBS adaptabilitythumbs up

Charmaine Wasif writes about thebenefits of IBS adaptability on pages 4 & 5

A Clapham-based restaurant, takeaway andretail chain responsible for the Eco, Escaand Absolutely Starving brands hasinstalled an IBS solution to run, manage andreport on three different elements of thebusiness. Charmaine Wasif, who runs thebusiness with her father, Sami , said: ‘Ourexpectations are very high because we runa very complicated business that includeseating in, taking out and retail as we’re arestaurant, a supermarket and a takeawayall in one. Fortunately IBS more than roseto the challenge, proving to be adaptableand very good at understanding exactlywhat we were after.’


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BAR 09 DATE FOR IBS IBS will be highlighting its acclaimedPOSLink touchscreen technology andthe versatility of its StockLink softwaresuite when it appears at the Bar 09exhibition at Earl’s Court, London laterthis year (23/24 June 2009) on standnumber C33. ‘Bar 09 is a great chance toshow visitors to the exhibition exactlywhy we’re the professional’s choice forthe hospitality industry. Not only do wehave the best combinations of softwareand technology currently available on themarket but we also have the knowledgeand experience when it comes todeploying systems in busy hospitalityenvironments,’ said Dee Powell, IBS’scommercial director.

IBS LAUNCH NEWIMPROVED WEBSITE

IBS has relaunched its website (www.ibs-systems.co.uk) to give hospitality, retailand leisure professionals the bestpossible insight into the versatility andflexibility of its epos and enterprisemanagement solutions. The easy-to-navigate www is designed to providevisitors with all the necessary answersabout IBS’s impeccable credentials asthe professional’s choice for cutting-edge systems for the hospitality, leisure,catering and retail sectors. ‘The eposmarket is extremely competitive and it’swell worth businesses doing deskresearch first to see who is out there andwhat they offer. Our aim is for the site tobe more than just a brochure on the web.It will be regularly updated to showcaseall our latest news, product developments,solution innovations and client casestudies,’ says Gareth Powell, IBS’smanaging director. ‘Once you’ve had alook, tell us what you think. We’re alwaysdelighted to have feedback about whatwe do.’

IBS...in brief Rocca puts IBS on the menuRocca, an exciting new Pizzeria housed inpart of Christie’s former auction house inSouth Kensington, London, has installed acomplete epos solution from IBS includingPOSLink touchscreen terminals, StockLinksoftware and kitchen printers. Therestaurant, named after a small village in theAlban Hills south of Rome, is designed tocapture the essence of Italy with its livecharcoal grill giving the food incredibleflavours. All pastas, pizza bases and breadsare prepared in-house. Joint owner PabloRamis said: ‘We want the front of houseexperience to be close to perfection. Thatmeans getting everything else spot on,including the reporting and business sheetsand support from our epos consultancy.’

The Ministry of Defence’s new OCS facility at its Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S)complex in Abbey Wood, Bristol, will be deploying StockLink throughout its cateringoperation, writes Carla McKenzie of MYA Consulting. The system has been designed tostrict security standards and uses handhelds to control wastage, stock deliveries, transfersand purchasing.

Moleface, the new Nottinghamshire pub cowhich champions buying locally grownseasonal produce, has asked IBS to install acomplete epos solutions for its three pubs,the Larwood & Voce, the Lord Nelson andthe recently opened Wollaton. Managingdirector, John Molnar, said: ‘While we rightlysource our food locally, we went furtherafield to make sure we picked the right eposprovider, commissioning IBS to specify and install our system. We did have anadvantage with the selection process as two

of my partners,Matt Saundersand SimonPatterson of FatCat Group, alreadyuse IBS for theircafe bar chain.’

IBS has installed StockLink professionalsoftware and a head office solution for TUISki, a division of TUI Travel, one of the world’sleading international leisure travel groups.The installation took place at the end of lastyear in time for the current skiing season.Systems were installed in the busy resorts ofTignes, Meribel, Val D’lsere, Les Deux Alpes,Alpe D’Heux and Val Thorens where TUI Skihas bar brands like Crowded House, Dick’sTea Bar, Foret Bar, Secret Bar, Sphere Barand Viking Bar. Christophe Avoine, the resortbars accountant for TUI Ski, picked IBS forthe levels of service and accuracy of itsreporting. ‘Together, we have improved ourperformance and accuracy on our GPs. Weare still training and encouraging ourmanagers to correct and adjust the settings(for example, product versus PLUs andprices) - but just like skiing it’s a matter ofstarting on the easier runs before tackling the

more difficult slopes. The good thing aboutusing a professional outfit like IBS is thequality of the support they offer fromrecovering data to amending reports andclearly and definitively identifying areas forimprovement.’

See pages 6 & 7 for more about theIBS and TUI Ski partnership

John Molnar explains why IBS were thenatural choice for his gastro pub chainon pages 8 and 9

MOD deploys StockLink at new OCS Bristol facility

Award-winning Moleface pub co goes with IBS

TUI Ski resorts pick IBS


Charmaine Wasif enjoys the hustle and bustle of a busy,

successful family restaurant, takeaway and retail business so

much that she turned her back on a career in architecture.

Here she tells Impact about the involvement of IBS in their

family affair.

It’s a familyaffair with allthe rightingredients

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My father, Sami Wasif, came to this countryfrom Egypt and initially worked in the busy,bustling London hotel trade, although it wasalways his ambition to open and run his ownbusiness. Like many immigrants of hisgeneration arriving in England, he had a hugeamount of energy, a thirst for knowledge and acommitment to succeed - no matter what hedecided he wanted to do. That his chosenentrepreneurial career revolved around foodand hospitality was perhaps inevitable. After all,Sami was born into a large family wheregenerosity and hospitality are second nature.Whatever business he ran, it would reflect thetrue spirit of the values he held so dear. Notsurprisingly, Sami chose to buy into and run anexisting pizza business, learning all the nuancesand intricacies of preparing and cooking on thejob. Being Sami, he was only interested inproviding the best he possibly could when itcame to satisfying the taste buds of hiscustomers. Fortunately, he has a naturalcuriosity that drives him to constantly challengeand push the boundaries of people’sexpectations of food. The word ‘satisfactory’ isnot acceptable in any of our restaurants anddelis as that falls well below our ownexpectations. That’s why my father constantlyinterrogates the way we do things likequestioning the flour, recipes and toppings toensure our food is always exciting andmemorable. And has widened our offering waybeyond the pizza - though it still remains at theheart of our proposition.

When customers eat with us, it has to be anevent that they will tell their friends about inmouthwatering detail. After all, word of mouth

pastries and coffee. Shelves up to the ceilings arecrammed full of wonderful temptations - fromexotic tins, oils, coffees and numerous othertreats like bespoke picnic hampers.

Just as important as getting the brand conceptspot on is the need to have the necessarybusiness controls in place to make sure ourefforts produce optimum profit and eliminatewaste and inefficient practices. Originally in ourearly days we had those wonderful tills whichwere great for music with their lovely tunes. Afew strobe lights and it would be party time -although they weren’t very effective businessmanagement tools!

For this we need an effective epos system thatgives us the information we need to run a betterbusiness and our first stab fell short of ourexpectations because we run a very complicatedbusiness that includes eating in, taking out andretail. In short, we’re a restaurant, a supermarketand a takeaway all in one. Fortunately, we hookedup with Intelligent Business Systems. GarethPowell and his excellent team not only had afirst class tried and tested solution but just ascritically, the experience of what an operationlike ours required.

What I personally like is the adaptability of IBS.They take on board many of our comments andappreciate that we are the experts in what wewant our system to do for us. At the same time,Gareth's wisdom and vast experience in thisindustry means that he really picks up on andadds value to our comments. By making thisreal for us, IBS adds huge value to the systemfor our new and existing clients.

They knew how to accommodate threedifferent sets of sales, eating in, taking out andretail. Knew what real time information weneeded to be able to make genuinely educateddecisions. Knew how to de-complicate acomplicated business. They understand thehospitality industry inside out and took a verymethodical approach. Sometimes I want ahundred different things at once but they keptour feet on the ground with realistic schedulesand objectives. Others, less committed to theirown standards, might be less scrupulous. Theyfollow their own processes, explaining thesolution is only as good as what you put in to it.Their approach, especially in such difficulttrading conditions, is to be applauded.

is the best form of advertising. Not only mustthe food tickle the taste buds but the ambienceinside should be warm, welcoming andhospitable, suitable for both larger groups andmore intimate gatherings. The success of thisapproach is reflected in the popularity of ourEco and Absolutely Starving restaurants. Wehave several across London although ourspiritual home remains in Clapham where Samiopened his first Eco.

Clapham High Street is also the location forEsca, a delicatessen serving a variety ofEuropean delicacies for breakfast or lunch withthe emphasis on healthy, tasty, imaginativefood. Esca is my baby and I hope theingredients that make Eco and AbsolutelyStarving so popular are mirrored here. Certainly,I think my commitment to excellence is in thegenes because it drives everything we do sincewe’ve launched Esca. Although I am a trainedarchitect by profession and adore the practice,the hospitality, catering and retail industry hasgot a real hold on my imagination. To be honest,nothing beats the buzz and full-on excitement ofrunning your own catering and retail operation.Personally, I love being loud and having thechance to express myself - through our staff andour whole concept. It must be in the blood.

Anyone visiting Esca can see the passion thatdrives both my father and myself. My goal withEsca is to create an Aladdin’s Cave packed full ofspecialist foods from across Europe, great cakes,

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‘Sometimes I want a hundreddifferent things at once butthey kept our feet on theground with realisticschedules and objectives.Others, less committed totheir own standards, might be less scrupulous.’Charmaine Wasif

Two of a kind - Charmaine and Sami Wasif.

Brilliant bespoke hampers are just one of Esca’s mouthwatering highlights.


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TUI SKI RUN JUST THE TICKET FOR IBS

The French Alps is one ofEurope’s busiest, mostupmarket skiing regions.Busy resorts like Tignes,Meribel, Val D’lsere, Les DeuxAlpes, Alpe D’Heux and Val Thorens attract millions of holidaymakers every yearwhere the off-pisteatmosphere at bars like TUI Ski’s Crowded House, Dick’s Tea Bar, Foret Bar,Secret Bar, Sphere Bar andViking Bar is just as importantas the dramatic, challengingski runs. And when TUI Skiwanted to install a moreeffective epos solution theycalled upon IBS - who quicklysped into action.

The Client

TUI Travel plc, the result of a merger between First Choice Holidays andthe Tourism Division of TUI AG, is one of the world’s leading internationalleisure travel groups operating in over 180 countries with more than 30million customers. Its ski division includes Europe’s biggest skioperator, Crystal. It also includes the First Choice Ski and Thomson Skibrands. The division caters for all types of customers and budgets fromfamilies seeking affordable ski breaks to the luxury end of the market.Popular destinations include France, Austria and Switzerland. Top skiresorts for 2009 include Whistler, Canada, Formigal, Spain, Ischgl,Austria and Ylläs in Finland.

‘I’ve been working for TUI UK for several years since moving from theMountain Trading Company to work at Dick’s Tea Bar Meribel and Val d’Isere.I was already a great fan of StockLink having worked with the epos solutionfor three years with the Mountain Trading Company and knew what it coulddo and how it was an essential aid to decision making and extensiveaccurate reporting. However, TUI UK selected a local system which hasn’tbeen as effective or accurate with its reporting. Fortunately from my point ofview we returned to IBS and StockLink at the end of November 2008.

We have invested time and energy training managers and have a managerwithin the team who can handle a lot of the internal assistance and issues.The good thing about using a professional outfit like IBS is the quality of thesupport they offer from recovering data or amending reports to clearly anddefinitively identifying areas for improvement.

Together, we have improved our performance and accuracy on our GPs. We are still training and encouraging our managers to correct and adjust the settings (for example, product versus PLUs and prices) - but just likeskiing, it’s a matter of starting on the easier runs before tackling the moredifficult slopes.’

Christophe Avoine (left) is the resort bars accountant for TUI Ski, which is a division ofTUI Travel plc.


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‘TUI Ski is involved in running some of the most stunning resorts stretchingacross one of the most prestigious skiing areas in the world - our challengewas to install completely new systems including software and hardwareterminals and associated kit without interrupting the flow of its business.

Although it was a tough ask, we actually love this sort of project because itgenuinely tests our organisational abilities and our professionalism.

Our job, which includes liaising with both the client and the datacabling contractor and setting up StockLink solutions at eight

sites with a head office to manage them all, means we haveto be at the top of our game.

Obviously driving 3,200 miles across Europe means wehad to have everything we could possibly envisage with us

when we travelled, so we were carrying duplicates andtriplicates of every possible spare part. Although we’re working,

it was great to see such incredible sights. Not that there was too much timefor sightseeing. We were running to a very tight time schedule where everyminute counted - and it was like our very own black run.’

Justin Atkinson, IBS project manager.

‘As you would expect, I like the IBS system a lot. It has all the gears for amanager to analyse the business in depth and enables them to takeoperational decisions based on fast accurate reports.

We’ve only really explored its potential this winter. I am looking forward toseeing its impact once we are able to organise and engineer the setup, whereall the deals and the PLU's managers want are created, thought about anddeveloped before the season starts.

Next season I’m looking forward to a quicker accounting system, bettercontrol and easier decision making thanks to the reports as we build on thegood and very efficient support we’ve had from IBS.’

Davide Pontini is responsible for The Secret Bar (Les Deux Alpes) and the Sphere Bar(Alpe d'Huez).


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The ethos of the Moleface Pub Companyfood policy is pretty simple really. Buyquality local produce so we can use thefreshest available ingredients, adapt ourmenus to accommodate seasonal changesand minimise the time between takingproduce from field to fork.

Our approach to food encapsulates ourdrive to reinvent the customer experience inand around Nottinghamshire so they canenjoy the atmosphere of the good old-fashioned pub with an exciting, adventurousmenu that wouldn’t be out of place inLondon’s traditional Gastro equivalents.

We’re lucky that our pubs have so muchgreat food close to hand. From the thrivingpork industry in Nottingham to Leicester’sfamed dairy production and Derbyshire’ssheep and arable farming, our region isabundant with fantastic produce.

As the former Exec Chef of the award-winning Bluu group, I’ve seen first hand thevalue of having a good relationship with local

Serving up the perfect recipe for the great British Gastro Pub When it comes to sourcing food for his new gastro pub chain,John Molnar, far right, managing director of the award-winningMoleface Pub Company, champions buying locally grownseasonal produce. However, the same rules don’t necessarilyapply when investing in an epos solution as he exclusivelyexplains to Impact.


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farmers, growers and producers. We’ll workreally closely with them and take fulladvantage of their immense knowledge andexperience. The result is that our menus atthe Larwood & Voce, Lord Nelson at BurtonJoyce and the newly opened Wollatonvirtually write themselves, showcasing thevery best produce currently in season.

This commitment to sourcing local producesees the teams at the Larwood & Voce, TheLord Nelson and the Wollaton embarking ona West Bridgford allotment project where ourestablishments’ vegetables will be grownwithin striking distance of their kitchens.

Already this philosophy is paying dividendswith a batch of awards being scooped at ourpubs. The Larwood & Voce won a hat trick oftop awards at the Nottingham RestaurantAwards including 'Best Pub Food', 'BestLocal Produce Menu' and 'NottinghamshireYoung Chef of the Year'.

The winner of the latter gong, NicholaThompson, heads our team at the Lord Nelson,which we opened last year. The pub has alreadybeen a beneficiary of a superb accolade fromGlenfiddich Food & Drink Awards RestaurantCritic of the Year, Terry Durack, who says weserve the 'best chips' in the UK.

Terry said: ‘Memorable versions wereplentiful, but deep down, I like my chips alittle less perfect, a little misshapen, cookedin beef dripping and tasting of potato. Theaward goes to Nottingham’s Lord Nelson,for its £2.50 enamelled-bucket of “chips &gravy”.’ Our award was one of only 12published in Terry's yearly round-up, ‘TheTerry's' in The Independent on Sunday.

The freshest possible produce is just part ofour proposition to really major on the verybest elements of the traditional BritishGastro Pub. Our offering is designed totempt and tantalise the taste buds, whetherit’s served in a glass or on a plate. We’retalking here about homemade bread andfood, chutneys, premium spirits and beerswith a whole host of guest real ales and

‘One of the majorreasons we can

charge such goodprices is thanks to the

quality of our epossolution that gives us the

necessary business controlsand intelligence to run a tight ship at the

pubs and at head office.’John Molnar

hand-pulled beers available throughout theyear. We’re also offering an extensive winelist and signature cocktails as well as thechoice of dining indoors or alfresco in thesummer months.

What’s more, we’re focusing on good pricesand premium standards. Inside we’recreating a truly comfortable relaxingenvironment with a uniquely retro feel wherecustomers can enjoy a casual lunch or aboozy dinner.

One of the major reasons we can chargesuch good prices is thanks to the quality ofour epos solution that gives us the necessarybusiness controls and intelligence to run atight ship at the pubs and at head office.

However, while we source our food locally,we went further afield to make sure wepicked the right epos provider,commissioning IBS to specify and install oursystem. We did have an advantage with the

selection process as two of my partners,Matt Saunders and Simon Patterson of Fat Cat Group, already use IBS for their cafebar chain.

IBS is an international epos player and we’reglad to work with them, accessing theirexperience and knowledge of the pubsector. The epos solution will ensure weremain lean, effective and cost-efficient asan organisation and that we won’t wastetime and money doing the same jobs two orthree times. Nor do we want to become topheavy at head office when our staffinginvestment and commitment should beaimed squarely at the pubs. Just as weforge great relationships with localproducers, so we have done the same withGareth and his team at IBS. Theirprofessionalism when crossing the t’s anddotting the i’s is typical of their approachand gives us the necessary controls andintelligence to fly the flags even higher.


One of the biggest questions facinghospitality, retail and leisure enterprisesduring periods of serious economic downturnis how to increase turnover withoutsimultaneously seeing a correspondinglydramatic increase in marketing expenditure.

Advertising, whether it’s via television, radio,newspapers, magazines or the www, includesbuying the space and paying for the cleverideas to make your proposition stand out.Even local campaigns can cost tens ofthousands of pounds over a relatively shortperiod without any guarantee of success.Similarly leaflet drops, direct mail and print-based in-store promotions and campaigns allhave high costs of production like design,artwork, photography, print and distribution.

The answer to the problem of increasingturnover while keeping a lid on marketingcosts can be found closer to home thanks to

increasingly sophisticatedtop end epos solutions.

At IBS our acclaimedPOSLink touchscreensolution has a very neatand clever module called‘adjustments & promotions’. There are severalreally great benefits associated with using asolution like POSLink to run promotions.

The first is the cost. There aren’t any other costsother than the initial investment in the module aspart of the overall epos solution and maybe a littleextra training for staff to familiarise themselveswith how it all works so it becomes secondnature. For instance, the offer or promotionalcampaign is simply programmed into the systemwith vouchers and receipts, and whatever else isappropriate for the activity, printed on a thermalprinter straight from the terminal. There’s noexpensive artwork to produce and print. Thevouchers carry the same weight and authority asany other printed voucher, can be branded withlogos and corporate messages and easilyauthenticated via the system. All the relevantinformation regarding validity and use can beprinted on the voucher.

The second is the sheer number and range ofdifferent promotions and campaigns you canrun, from buy-one-get-one-free to discount orcash vouchers to free coffees or a glass ofwine with a three course meal. Really, anythinggoes in terms of being creative with your ideas.Offers during televised football matches, earlybird complimentary bottles of wine, kids eatfree between four and five...the list of options isendless. The only limit is your imagination.

The third is the sheer flexibility and versatilityof how and when you plan your activity. Toextend a successful promotion that’sworking really well is simply a matter ofreprogramming, carried out in a number ofminutes. It’s equally easy to change theproducts being promoted from a free coffeeto a glass of wine depending upon the hourof the day.

The fourth advantage is that you can run andmanage these campaigns internally withouthaving to resort to external marketing andpromotional agencies. They can be set upquickly in reaction to trading circumstancesby individual outlet, brand or estate.

And while traditional forms of communicationare going to be wasteful POSLink only targetsexisting customers and their friends. Even‘recommend a friend’ vouchers are targetedat potential customers who will know aboutyou and your brand.

Better still, you can judge and assess theresults of your activity through the normalbusiness reporting of your system so you canquickly measure the success of promotionsand loyalty campaigns.

WHAT THEPROFESSIONALSSAY ABOUTPOSLink

The launch of POSLink has met withconsiderable acclaim. Here’s whatthree hospitality professionals sayabout the easy-to-use, feature-richtouchscreen solution that's quick forstaff to pick up and for managementto monitor, maintain and update.

‘There’s lots of functionality and it’sreally easy to use and brilliantlysupported by IBS. The look and feel isgreat and we’ve customised the layoutwith our own fonts, colours and pictureson the buttons. Loyalty goes straight tothe server rather than the back officewhich makes life a lot easier. Ourbusiness is all about giving ourcustomers incredible value for moneyand running plenty of promotions. Theseare made a lot easier and more effectivewith POSLink managing and tracking ourdiscounts and numerous other excitingoffers.’

Clint Welsh, Cantaloupe Group(responsible for top London venues likeCamino, Cargo, the Market Place andthe Big Chill Bar).

‘We have catering clients across thespectrum so hopefully I’ll be introducingPOSLink to a lot of them because frommy point of view it’s easy to set up anda lot more user friendly than anythingelse on the market. In our business it’seasy to forget the importance of keepingtechnology and systems simple.’

Rebecca Maltby, MYA Consultancy(independent hotel and cateringconsultancy working with many of thecountry’s leading independent schoolslike Marlborough College, Gordenstoun,King’s School and Haileybury).

‘The great thing is the increasedflexibility where offers are devised by themarketing department andcommunicated across the business.We’re looking to cut the amount of workthat needs to be done via front of housestaff by half, a considerable saving intime and resources.’

Carlos DeAbreu, Clapham House Group(restaurant chain operating well knownbrands like The Gourmet Burger Kitchen,the Real Greek and Tootsies).

Want to find out moreabout POSLink and theloyalty module. Simply contact Mark at IBS on 01280 709 400 or e-mail [email protected]

POSLink - a flexible,powerful & loyal friend

Mark Bagnall, IBS’s senior projectmanager, describes howPOSLink’s loyalty module can beused to boost turnover and saleswithout busting the bank.

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Q1: What do you do for IBS?A1: I am responsible for managing all aspects

of programming and development forall our StockLink modules and thePOSLink touchscreen epos softwarethat we’ve just launched. It’s anexciting time because it’s a fast movingindustry that’s always looking to improve.

Q2: What are your qualifications? A2: I’ve got a Btec National diploma in

computer science and an HND inbusiness and IT. Just as important, isthe practical experience of marryingtheory with the real life, real-timerequirements of clients. As I’ve got abackground as a stocktaker and seenStockLink from the client end. I amable to see the widest possibleperspective. It allows me and theteam to interrogate what we do at alevel few of our competitors can rival.

Q3: Previous industry experience? A3: Like I said, I used to do stocktaking

and was an end user of the Stocklinksoftware before working at IBS.

Q4: How long have you been with IBS? A4: 10 Years

Q5: What’s your biggest professionalachievement?

A5: Writing and creating the POSLinkepos software. The reaction to it hasbeen excellent to date and I hope itsets new standards for our industryfor speed and ease of use.

Q6: What makes IBS special? A6: A nice relaxed atmosphere for work

with friendly work colleagues andunderstanding bosses.

Q7: What is your approach to your job?A7: Delegate as much as possible!

Seriously, it’s a team game and we haveto trust our mutual professionalism.Fortunately I’ve got a good teamaround me who enjoy the challenge ofwhat they do.

IBS Profile...Mikee Ball

News that advertising revenues forcommercial television stations are spirallingdownwards is one of the least surprisingaspects of the current economic climate.Though it’s not just the consequences of thecredit crunch that is impacting on the world oftelevision. Increasingly sophisticated dual-screen hardware terminals present newoptions for hospitality, retail and leisureoperators to prompt, advertise and messagetheir customers at the point of sale or service.Up-selling, special offers and promotingevents and packages can be communicatedvia customer-facing LCD screens.

The real beauty of the concept is its controland management takes place via the epossystem. Operators can focus on deliveringprecisely the right promotional message atthe right time and place to influencepurchasing decisions at the exactly the righttime. For example, ordering a main course ina restaurant will prompt the system to displaycomplementary starter options specific to themenu item or side dishes (onion rings ormushrooms, for example). Similarly, in a fastfood restaurant ordering one item will promptcustomers to buy more. The pre-set systemautomatically responds to various orders soservers can focus on the customerexperience without running through a tick boxwhile they are serving.

And when the screens aren’t being used toup-sell, they can carry high impact messagesabout special events, loyalty schemes andindividual beer, spirit and soft drink brands.These ads aren’t merely showing TVcommercials which customers have neitherthe time or the inclination to watch. Instead,the focus is very much on short, sharp,

graphically-strong effective messages at amaximum of ten seconds in length.

Like most successful technologies, it has tobe simple and easy to use. The creation andintegration of messages and images has to beable to be quickly updated by systemsmanagers either at the individual outlet orthrough head office.

Embracing the same sort of technology usedby powerful, marketing-led supermarketsshows the hospitality, leisure and cateringsectors are willing and able to innovate. The flexibility and versatility of on-screen

technology controlled through an epossystem will be considerably faster, cheaperand more dynamic than traditional displaymethods. The time and the cost needed toimplement in-store POP campaigns needsno further explanation - the process fromcreative through to print, manufacturing,finishing, distribution, installation andmechandising is highly inflexible, expensiveand time-consuming. The completeopposite of using the epos system tocommunicate direct with customers.

These are exciting times within the world ofepos as solutions become more versatileand able to accommodate many morefunctions beyond recording transactions andaccounting for stock. Reporting procedureswill show the success of promotional on-screen activity, relating sales to specificmessages. Real-time data allows systemsmanagers and marketeers to respondaccordingly to maximise each and everysales opportunity. It’s going to be greatviewing for us all.

Customer-facing screenadds new dimension

Age: 34Job title: Development ManagerEducation: School of life Status: A GOD, if the wife lets me.Children? One wonderful child and

another on the way

Customer-facing screens are an effective communication toolenabling operators to automatically up-sell and promote specialoffers and events at the point-of-service through their epossolution, as Gareth Powell, IBS managing director, explains.

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Intelligent Business Systems provides POS and enterprisemanagement for multi-site hospitality businesses in the UK,Europe and in the USA.

We do it for the likes of PizzaExpress, BBC, Gourmet BurgerKitchen, Fresh Italy, Peach Pub Co, Fat Café Bar, Geronimo Inns,Tootsies and John Lewis. And we can do it for you as well.


johnlewis



FAT CATcafé bar




Love Vodka, Love Revolution, Love StockLinkLondon Calling Claude & Claire Educating the Educators StockLink goes On-Line

Issue 6 Spring 2008

Welcome to Impact 6 A warm welcome to the Spring 08 edition of Impact, our bi-annual magazine designed tokeep you fully up-to-date with the impact we’re making within the fast-moving world of postechnology. Once again we’re grateful to our contributors who cover the entire spectrum ofthe hospitality sector from the great British pub epitomised by the professionalism ofGeronimo Inns to the exciting vodka retail concept Revolution to award-winning restaurantsand imaginative educational establishments. So many thanks Ed, Marc, Claude, Mandy,Sara and Walter. On page 11 you can read my own contribution about the introduction ofour new strapline, the professional’s choice. We hope this issue shows you why we are thepreferred supplier for many hospitality professionals. Enjoy Impact 6. We hope it gives youplenty of food for thought as always. Don’t hesitate to contact us to find out how we canimpact upon your business.

Dee Powell, editor, Impact Front cover image: Vodka, Revolution, Manchester. Impact is published on behalf of Intelligent Business Systems (St James Road,Brackley, Northants, NN13 7XY, 01280 709 400) by Creativespace2 (www.creativespace2.com). If you have any comments orfeedback, contact me on 01280 709 400 or e-mail mail to: [email protected]. We are always delighted to hear from you.

News from IBS

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Award-winning Revolution bars, named thePublican’s Retail Concept of the Year, hasinstalled StockLink at its 55 UK outlets forstock checking, general sales reporting andproduction of daily business reports. MarcDawson, IT manager at Inventive Leisurewho owns the Revolution brand, said: “Ourend goal is to be able to deliver data to headoffice in a timely fashion and StockLink isintegral to that achievement. Although ourbars operate at different closing timesdepending upon location and the time of theyear, our tills are polled throughout the nightso at 6am our systems at head officeproduce management reports. These areautomatically sent out via email and PDA toour site managers and head office teams sothey get the information they need to be ableto drive the business forward.” The launchincluded training roadshows in Manchester,Bath, London and Derby to introducemanagers to StockLink.

Inventive Leisure’s Marc Dawson writesexclusively for Impact about Revolutionand StockLink. See pages 6 and 7

IBS has installed a pos system at the award-winning Hibiscus restaurant managed byhusband and wife team, Claude and Claire Bosi. The couple recently uprooted their two Michelin-starred restaurant from its Ludlow home to London’s Mayfair and installed a pos system featuring StockLink. Claude is famous for his ingeniously inventive cookingbut is equally pleased to have added IBS to his menu. “It’s a great shame we never had IBS when we first opened in Ludlow as it would have made life a lot easier and lessstressful!” he said.

Revolution rollsout StockLink

IBS adds pos to menu at Hibiscus

Claude Bosi writes about his new challenge moving to the capital on page 4

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IBS installs pos at Eight at the Thatch

Geronimo Inns Timely Arrival atSt Pancras

StockLink On-Linegoes live

IBS has launched a www-based editionof StockLink to complement the existingoff-line version. Both have essentially thesame functionality and are designed togive hospitality professionals greaterchoice and flexibility.“Whether you go off-line or on-line reallydepends upon your own particularpreferences. Whichever route you take,you’re guaranteed the easy-to-use,accurate feature-rich business controland intelligence that’s becomesynonymous with StockLink,’ says GarethPowell, IBS’s managing director.With the On-Line version there is no needto physically install StockLink at eachindividual site. Nor is it necessary to updateand maintain on-site databases aseverything runs through the web. Databasemanagement and updates are carried outreal time on centrally controlled servers(either our own or the customers).‘On-Line will save multi-site businesses alot of time and resources throughoperating with one web-controlleddatabase,” says Gareth.

Hostec Here We ComeIBS launches its new StockLink On-Linemodular suite at the Hostec exhibition(Stand number H1330, 18-21 February2008 at ExCel, London). “Hostec is a great opportunity to meetfellow hospitality professionals from allsectors of industry and update them withthe exciting developments within IBS. Aswell as StockLink On-Line we’re promotingloyalty and promotional modules and on-line customer ordering,” says DeePowell, IBS’s commercial director.

See page 11 for more details aboutStockLink On-Line

IBS...in brief IBS graduates at South Cheshire College

South Cheshire College, one of the country’sleading tertiary and sixth form educationalestablishments, is benefiting from theflexibility of IBS’s pos systems afterinstallations in the retail shop and large cafe.Catering for thousands of students, IBS hasa long-standing relationship with the collegeand has recently upgraded the pos systemto include pc-based terminals in Cafe Chill. ‘We operate and manage it alongcommercial lines with the samemanagement information and reports thatyou’d find in any high street retail operation

so we need an appropriate pos system likethe one provided by IBS,’ says head of retailoperations, Mandy Malam. IBS has alsocarried out bespoke work on student cardsand StockLink is used by the hospitalityfaculty to give the next generation ofhospitality professionals realistic hands-onexperience.

See pages 8 and 9 to find out howwe’re stacking up with theprofessionals at South Cheshire.

IBS has installed a pos system at the Eight at the Thatch, in Thame, Oxfordshire, which isrun by Jeremy and Jane Hooper, the winners of The Restaurant, the popular BBC series featuring Raymond Blanc and the Peach Pub Co’s Lee Cash. A second series is beingbroadcast this Spring with producers looking for up to nine working restaurants. The restaurants will be hired for between five and 11 weeks in Spring 2008 with a fee paid for each week. The restaurants need to be within a fifty mile radius of Oxford. As well as the cash, the publicity for featured restaurants is considerable. Interested? Go to the BBC www for further details.

Award-winning managed pub chain, GeronimoInns, has opened a bar and kitchen atLondon’s newly refurbished St Pancras railwaystation, the Baby Betjeman. “We’re reinventingcustomer expectations of the pub whenthey’re travelling. After all, it’s a stressfulexperience travelling and our remit is to givetravellers a friendly environment where theycan relax with great grub and a pint,” says EdTurner, Geronimo Inns commercial director.The bar at St Pancras, home to the Eurostarand gateway to the London Olympics, has anumber of rooms including a south facingterrace and another underneath the glassroom of the station itself with stock control andreporting provided by the IBS pos system.Geronimo also have three pubs at HeathrowAirport, including the Three Bells.

Ed Turner writes about the traditionalpub and IBS on page 5

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I was practically born in the kitchenbecause my parents had a restaurant inLyons. Even though my mother never daredlet me near the restaurant kitchen, cookinghas always been a passion of mine. Igraduated from catering college and did myapprenticeship in Lyons prior to two and ahalf years as a sous chef in Paris. I movedto a restaurant in Ludlow, England in 1997,meeting Claire, my future wife and businesspartner. Together we opened Hibiscus(named after a beautiful flower we both love)at the start of the millennium. I was chef andClaire looked after the front of house. Wecollected two Michelin stars, were namedrestaurant of the year by Egon Ronay andthe Good Food Guide and opened a pubcalled the Bell Inn in Yarpole (run by mybrother Cedric). Although we’re proud of ourachievements we wanted a new challenge.

We decided to move Hibiscus to newpremises in London’s Mayfair. They werelocated by myself and one of our investors,Tim Woodcock. It’s certainly a challengingarea to launch a new restaurant as thedistrict has some of England’s bestrestaurants, all within stepping distance ofone another.

Our biggest challenge since opening lastyear is demand. Every session has been fullwith the private room also incredibly busy.This time of year in Ludlow we’d be busy atweekends but less so at the start of theweek. One of the big differences is Ludlow’s

essentially a gastro leisure and pleasuremarket while in Mayfair there are lots ofbusiness customers, especially at lunchsessions.

With the move we’ve increased the numberof covers from 36 in Ludlow to 48 in Mayfairand employ approximately two dozen staff,split evenly between the kitchen and front ofhouse. Although we could have morecovers, Hibiscus is the type of restaurantwhere customers need to have space todine in comfort.

Being busy throughout the week (we don’topen at weekends as it’s important forClaire and myself to balance work andquality of life, especially as we have abeautiful young daughter) means we haveto have high levels of business controls.

Tim was invaluable again, introducing us toIntelligent Business Systems. Gareth andhis team were recommended because Timhad used IBS for his own restaurantbusinesses. We’re delighted with the possystem and support. It’s a great shame wenever had IBS when we first opened inLudlow. It would have made life a lot easierand less stressful! Like most people, we’vehad to learn the business side of runningrestaurants through practical experience. Iremember at the end of the first week inLudlow the staff hanging around after theyhad finished. I’m thinking why are theywaiting behind? It was for their wages. I hadnot thought about them!

Hibiscus’s award-winningFrench chef-proprietorClaude Bosi and his wife Claire uprootedtheir acclaimed two Michelin-starredrestaurant from peacefulLudlow to the heart ofLondon’s Mayfair in 2007because they wanted a new challenge. Here Claude talks about the move to the capital and hisintroduction to IBS.

London Calling forClaude & Claire Bosi

Those days are long behind us and ourcommunication between the office and therestaurant is better than ever before. Goodstocktaking and communications havenever been more important.

Consistency and attention to detail are veryimportant to me. It’s why we limit ourselvesto six starters, six mains and six desserts tomaximise the fresh produce ordered dailyby me and my head chef MarcusMcGuinness. It’s why I love fish, line-caughtlike sea bass and organic salmon, becauseof the precision involved. And it’s why wehave an eclectic range of 550 wines rangingfrom £16.75 for a bottle of house wine to£3,000 for a 1982 Bordeaux to complementour food. And it’s why we’re working closelywith IBS, because one of the beauties of thesystem is our option to upgrade as ourbusiness matures.

And our next challenge? It could anotherpub or a bistro. But first there’s six nationsrugby. I love England and the call of Londonbut when it comes to rugby I’m very muchfor the Frenchmen at heart.

Claire Bosi, Hibiscus’s restaurant manager.

Room to eat – spacious surroundings areessential to the Hibiscus experience.

Claude Bosi, landed in Ludlow and collectednumerous awards.

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Love pubs. Always have done since I wasold enough to drink in them and I think it’sgoing to be a lifelong affair. They areessential to our heritage, the foundations ofour culture. I’ve been lucky enough to workin the pub industry since leaving ExeterUniversity, working as a businessdevelopment manager with Bass and thenMitchells & Butler, which had over 7,000managed pubs at the time.

When I joined Rupert and Jo Clevely, wholaunched Geronimo in the nineties, I had theopportunity to help redefine what we meanby the pub, which was a great challenge.

Where we score as a business is ourpositive outlook on everything we do. Forinstance, the smoking ban is a fact of life.Rather than moan, we’ve responded in thebest way for our customers. We’ve supplied’Gone for a smoke’ beer mats, Nintendogames, umbrellas, sexy gardens and moreto make both the smokers and the smokingwidows feel at home. For theanthropologists, we’ve even identified anew behavioural human pattern, “smirting”...flirting in a smoking garden!

Joking aside, our goal is to manage popularlarge, truly British pubs with a great heritageand a modern twist. An essential part of ouroffering is to be very creative with ourinterpretation of what this means.

Perhaps our approach is encapsulated byour pubs at Heathrow and St Pancras.We’re reinventing customer expectations ofthe pub when they’re travelling. They are inunique locations and open 5am to 11pm butthey still capture the spirit of Geronimo. Wewant to do our thing much better than it’sbeen done previously. After all, it’s a

corporate organisation. I take care ofpurchasing, training and the pub set upfrom pos to fridges to marketing to ensureour customers receive the right messages.

When I joined Geronimo in 1999 we had astandalone set up. I wanted a complete possystem and looked at what was in themarket. IBS ticked the right boxes and haveproved to be a very responsive company,very helpful. They do things with a certainsmile and have provided us with a fullyintegrated system and on-going support.

From our perspective, stock control iscritical to our ability to perform. Ourmanagement reports tell us where we’re atand how promotions are doing, what are ourstaffing levels and so forth. The system isessential to helping us understand theimpact of our activity and our people.

It’s this infrastructure that helps usconstantly perform at the top of our game –and will keep us flying the Geronimo flag as high as we can, wherever we travel withour pubs.

Geronimo Inns was named best Managed Pub Companywith under 100 pubs by thePublican magazine last year.Here Commercial Director, Ed Turner, discusses his loveaffair with pubs and theinvolvement of IBS in Geronimo Inns’ long-runningsuccess story

Geronimotravelling on theright path

stressful experience travelling and our remitis to give travellers a friendly environmentwhere they can relax with great grub and apint. Funnily enough, the chief differencebetween the rail and airport pubs and therest is the number of breakfasts we serve,no matter what time of the day.

We’re currently very busy at both Heathrowand St Pancras. At the former we’reopening a third site in Terminal Five, whichis a truly amazing piece of architecture anda really exciting concept in modern daytravel. The latter is our first Geronimoarrival at a London train station. However,like the advertising says for a certainsupermarket brand, this is not youraverage station but the beautifullyrenovated St Pancras, home to theEurostar and gateway to the LondonOlympics. The pub has a number of roomsincluding a south facing terrace andanother underneath the glass room of thestation itself. Stunning.

As commercial director, I’m very muchhands-on, much more than in a larger

Pub lover Ed Turner (above) is helping to redefine the concept of the great British pub with the award-winningGeronimo Inns.

As well as traditional pubs in and around the capital, Geronimo is making its mark with high profile sites likethe Tin Goose at Heathrow and the Baby Betjeman at the inspirational St Pancras rail station.

I know I’m going to sound extremely biasbecause I do love vodka and I work forInventive Leisure which owns theconcept. But I’m a genuinely big fan of theRevolution bars brand and its emphasison quality service and products whichenable our bars to deliver an exceptionalexperience to our customers. Even beforeI worked for the business, I was convertedto the cause as a student in the NorthWest and remember (vaguely) sampling afew distinctive vodkas in the very firstRevolution bar, which was opened inManchester’s Oxford Street in the mid-nineties. Like nearly all of the 1,800 plus employeeswho are helping us spread Revolution to themasses, I’m passionate about the brand.After all, a success story like Revolutiondepends upon the 100% commitment andbelief of its people. It’s why we as abusiness are able to focus on great service,great venues and a great atmosphere as ourselling points rather than discounting andhappy hours like other hospitalitycompetitors. That’s why from ourperspective Revolution stands for addingvalue through service at every stage of thecustomer experience. This year we’re looking at hosting over100,000 parties at Revolution bars, whichstretch up and down and across the UKfrom Aberdeen to Plymouth and Lincoln toCardiff with hotspots in all the major citiesincluding London, Manchester, Leeds,Liverpool, Birmingham and Newcastle.Whether it’s five or a hundred or more, the

variety and number of our party offeringsalmost match the different core vodkas

on sale behind the bar. For fellowvodka connoisseurs its over 30 in-house flavours lovingly created and tested by revolutionaries at ourvery own vodka factory whereintriguing options include porridge,banana, glacier mint and chilli

IT manager and vodkalover Marc Dawson ispassionate about theRevolution brand whichis planning to host over100,000 parties at its fiftyfive bars this year. He’sequally pleased with theinfrastructure behind thescenes where IBS’sStockLink software ischanging the way thecompany does things as Marc explainsexclusively for Impact.

LoveVodka, Revolution,

StockLink

Revolution is a party paradise with over100,000 taking place this year

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complemented by 70 of the world’s verybest premium brands ranging from Absolutand Zubrowka to Polska and Ketel One. Our parties are legendary with each oneenhancing our reputation still further.Customers can get all educational (to adegree) with hosted hands-on cocktail andvodka masterclasses or book a vodka iceluge where our favourite drink is pouredthrough a slab of sculpted ice for anunforgettable taste. The favourite ice optionis a ski slope but this is a bespoke serviceand we’ve had some pretty wild requests.Masterclasses and ice luges are just the tipof the iceberg. We’ll do our best to ensureour customers have the best-ever party withus. At Revolution burlesque showgirls,body-painted girls and boys, live music andpersonalised DJs, stilt walkers, fire eatersand snake artists are all on tap for ourcustomers when they want to create thatonce-in-a-lifetime party occasion.With so much going on it’s essential we staya step ahead when it comes to controllingand reporting on our business activity,which is why we have our own IT department

headed by Michelle Smart and myself. Anessential section within the IT department ismanaged by our dedicated pos guru TonyMurray. We currently use a centrally controlled pc-based system using either Uniwell or PCPOS touchscreens. StockLink fromIntelligent Business Systems helps uscontrol general sales reporting and stockchecks and feeds our management teamwith the business reports necessary to driveday-to-day and strategic decision making. Historically, the quality of data has been aconcern although this is no longer the case.Through StockLink we have improved thequality and reliability of pos data whichenables us to deliver efficiencies acrossmany business processes. By streamliningand integrating systems we have created apositive impact in several head officedepartments and our sites. With considerable support and assistancefrom IBS senior project manager MarkBagnall, we rolled out StockLink in twophases. The second phase saw us createthe business sheets that are designed tointerface with our head office managementinformation systems.

Our end goal is to be able to deliver data tohead office in a timely fashion andStockLink is integral to that achievement.Although our bars operate at differentclosing times, depending upon location andthe time of the year, our tills are polledthroughout the night so at 6am our systemsat head office produce managementreports. These are automatically sent out viaemail and PDA to our site managers andhead office teams so they get theinformation (for instance, revenue,stocktakes and payroll) they need to be ableto drive the business forward by individualoutlet and as a whole. No matter where theyare, they can access the information. From our point of view, it’s important wedon’t drown ourselves in data. That’s whywe focus on the key performance indicatorsthat ensure our operational and head officeguys are always well read and prepared.With the right information at their fingertipsthey can react quickly and effectively to anygiven business situation. Flexibility and the capability to deliverconsistently accurate information in a timelyfashion is one of the key StockLinkattributes. We’re also looking forward totaking advantage of new StockLinkinitiatives. Revolution has developed a can-do culture and StockLink dovetails neatlyinto this philosophy. We launched StockLink to our managers lastsummer, hosting roadshows and trainingsessions in Manchester, Bath, London andDerby. Not only did we show them howwe’re constantly driving efficiency and timelyreporting but we also received a lot ofpositive feedback, which is very encouragingand a big thumbs up for StockLink. One of the really good aspects of workingfor a business like Inventive Leisure is theircommitment to excellence across all areasof the business. This is epitomised by thisyear’s managers’ annual conference whichwill have close to 100 of our bar managersand senior head office staff jet over to LasVegas. It’s also encapsulated by the desireto invest in the best infrastructure possiblewith the likes of StockLink.

The message that vodka drinkers can clearly identify with

Always plenty of choice andalways served with a flourish!

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Mandy Malam, head ofretail operations

Supermarkets, naturally enough giventheir massive resources, were the first todeploy pos systems. At the time thisrepresented a massive financial outlayway beyond the rest of us who could only look on with envy. Later, after large independents embraced similartechnology, it was our turn with the likesof IBS offering an affordable and realisticepos investment for forward-thinkingeducational establishments like SouthCheshire College.

We jumped at the chance to take advantageof pos technology because we knew thebenefits would be immediate, long-lastingand help us meet strategic objectives.

Our ambition is to create first class on-site retail, leisure and hospitality facilitiesto encourage students to stay on campus.After all, it’s tough for students to learnanything and participate in socialactivities if they’re not in college! Ifeverything they want - refreshments,college materials, places to relax andsocialise with their friends – is readilyavailable there is less temptation to lookfor it elsewhere.

It’s hard to imagine for first-time visitors butwhen I first managed the shop it was just abasic hole-in-the-wall facility. It has beentransformed in the decade or so since I’vebeen here.

Now the shop is an integral part of StudentStreet. We operate and manage it alongcommercial lines with the samemanagement information and reports thatyou’d find in any high street retail operation.For instance, at the start of the school year,the shop can turn over £30,000 per week.Our complementary facilities are equally asimpressive with, for instance, our on-siteABTA-bonded travel centre attracting manynon-student clients who book their holidaysdirect with us.

Naturally if we’re emulating the highstreet with our approach to retail andhospitality we want to do the same withour pos systems and managementcontrols which is why we work in closepartnership with IBS.

Throughout our association IBS has beenfirst class with senior project manager MarkBagnall and head of development Mike Ballcarrying out a lot of bespoke work to meetour specific requirements. They’ve alwaysbeen willing to understand our needs andrecommend appropriate solutions. From mypoint of view they are extremely flexible andalways prepared to listen.

For example, recently introduced pc-basedterminals ensure we don’t lose data if ournetwork goes down. Previously if thenetwork crashed it could take a lot ofinformation which we could never get back.

Likewise, our welcome pack to newstudents includes £25 worth ofcomplimentary vouchers. This is designed

to act as an incentive to use collegefacilities and part-fund equipment andsupplies for their education. Initially we used‘paper money’ with all the obviousproblems, including the inability to givechange.

Thanks to IBS this scheme is now fullyautomated. We manage it via a loyaltypackage where all the relevant informationis stored on the individual student’s ID card.When they start they are credited with £25.The money is deducted as and when theyspend it.

The system allows us to top up the creditsto reward good attendance for students.Equally important, should a student finish atthe college or leave before the end of term,we can instantly stop them accessing thecollege’s cash.

One of the great spin offs with StockLink isstudents in our hospitality and cateringfaculty using the software to gain realistichands-on experience processing data frontof house and in the back office. This isgreat news as our return on investmentthrough the IBS system not only saves usmoney, time and resources but also helpstrain the next generation of hospitalityprofessionals.

Walking around campus, I’m reminded dailyof the prowess of IBS’s contribution to thesmooth running of our facilities when Inotice how quickly our queues shift. Unlikethe popular myth, our students don’t see abig queue and immediately join it!

Run along similar lines to a traditionaluniversity, South Cheshire College is one ofthe country’s leading tertiary and sixth formeducational establishments. Over 3,000 fulltime students and thousands more parttimers and visitors from Nantwich, Creweand the surrounding catchment areasregularly pass through the college gates.Many of them use its extensive facilities,which include a shop, fitness academy,nursery, theatre, cafe, restaurant, travelcentre, sports hall and hair and beautysalons. The common denominator linkingmany of these facilities is IBS as three South Cheshire managers explain exclusively for Impact.

Educating theEducators

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Sara Blundred, shop manager

Our retail shop is really busy and has everything from fresh sandwiches, magazines andnewspapers to chilled foods, sweets, drinks, crisps, and ice cream to keep students fed andwatered when they’re on campus. Just as important, it’s also the place for students topurchase stationery, computer and photographic consumables, artists’ materials andnumerous other studying aids. IBS was introduced to the college via our current head of retail operations, Mandy Malam,who was the previous shop manager before I took over. She had a great relationship withMark Bagnall and the IBS team and I have too. The support contract we have with them isimportant and we’re free to contact them whenever we need their assistance or advice. The impact IBS has made in the shop is visible and immediate. We’re busier than everbefore with a massive increase in footfall in a retail space that has remained the same size.An idea of the sophistication of the operation is the fact we have over 15,000 items on sale,including recently introduced chilled products. It’s funny but I remember deliveries and stock taking used to be very long-windedprocesses. Now it’s all automated, including using handhelds for checking stock. Our pos system is easy to use and explain to my colleagues in the shop. I have three fulltime staff and one part-time as well as students working with me. We’re able to work a lotfaster and be a lot more accurate with everything we do. Automated student cards have been a revelation. We used to have to put an ID number onthe cards manually but this is now done automatically. Students get a £25 credit inSeptember for course materials or anything else they want to buy. The card stores all theirtransactions so we have a historic record of their purchases in case there are ever anymisunderstandings. The downside, and I’m saying this tongue–in-cheek, is we’re incrediblybusy for the first couple of weeks when the students spend, spend, spend...We love it. I’m looking forward to developing the card system so we can run a whole seriesof promotions like two for one. It’s all part of our constant desire to look at ways to improveand enhance our retail operation.

Walter Williams, catering manager

Cafe Chill is, as the name clearly suggests,the place where students can take time outfrom studying and chill out. It’s a busy hub for lots of socialising withstudents engaging in music, dancing,karaoke and fundraising for good causes. Our remit is to offer them a whole range offoods from full meals and breakfasts tosandwiches, snacks and hot and colddrinks, including a fully-stocked salad baras a healthy-eating alternative. The Cafe used to be a franchise but hasbeen brought under direct college controland we’re currently creating all thenecessary databases for the IBS systemwhich was installed at the tail end of lastyear. The system is based around four posterminals covering the different offerings inthe cafe.Although it is still early days we’re alreadyseeing the benefits with the stockcountdown particularly helpful when itcomes to reordering. Feedback is positivefrom the team with assistant managerJeanette Lowe (above right) and floorsupervisor Linda Vickers using the systemto monitor deliveries and cashing uprespectively. Longer term, we’re hoping to operate acashless option. You’d be surprised at thenumber of students who forget to bringcash. Actually, if you have children you won’t!

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Why we’re theprofessional’schoice

StockLink offers thebest of all worlds

IBS launches StockLink On-Line this spring as part of an on-goingcommitment to offering hospitality professionals a variety of choices.However, whether it’s on or off line depends upon individual requirementssays IBS developers Will Mainwaring and Mike Ball (right).

Our new StockLink On-Line option mirrorsthe functionality of our popular POS andenterprise management off-line softwareinstalled at thousands of sites in the UK,Europe and North America, writes WillMainwaring.

We’ve taken everything currently in StockLinkV5 to create an internet-based product thatcomplements and offers an alternative to ourflagship product. Although the functionality isvirtually the same there are key differences.There’s no need with On-Line to physicallyinstall StockLink at each individual site.

Neither is there any need to update andmaintain databases on site terminals aseverything runs through the web. No pollingis needed as database management andupdates are real time on centrally controlledservers (either our own or the customers).

For hospitality professionals this meanshaving the freedom and flexibility to accessand work in centralised www-based

databases wherever there’s an internetconnection, day or night, in the UK or abroad.

Naturally, there are associated time-savingand resource-rationalisation benefits. Timeinputting and processing data is going to bedramatically reduced. What’s more, bulk-updating on prices and menus wouldnormally involve amending each sitedatabase individually. On-Line a simple tickbox procedure allows for multiple sitechanges with one mouse click.

Of course, StockLink off-line is still verymuch part of our offering and sitscomfortably alongside the new On-Lineversion. It’s particularly relevant forindependents and single-site operators whocan look after their own databases on-site(after all, there’s no need to pay to ship thedata to us when they can manage itthemselves).

From the customer’s point of view, it’s greatto have the choice.

What’s cooking with StockLink?On-Line StockLink modules are an increasingly attractive proposition for clients and we’reresponding to their feedback with more new developments this year, says Mike Ball.Loyalty and promotional modules are already out in the marketplace and attracting newand repeat business for customers. We’re also looking forward to the impact of customerordering, Amazon-for-food we call it in the development department. Essentially, orderingis hosted by our servers although the end user customer thinks they are still on theoperator’s site courtesy of an invisible link. This has been successfully trialled with FreshItaly in the capital. This module matches pictures and descriptions of the offeringsalongside practical easy ordering and purchasing functions. The functionality of customerordering features design tools so we can emulate the client’s own web pages. There ismore in the pipeline, including POS TouchLink, which we’ll unveil in the next issue ofImpact. Watch this space.

What’s in a strapline?Quite a lot actually, asIBS commercial directorDee Powell explains.

We’ve added a new tagline, or marketingmessage, to our branding to co-incide withour appearance at Hostec. Our phrase, theprofessional’s choice, works in closeconjunction with our IBS logo. It’sdesigned to create and communicate agenuine point of difference with customersand from competitors.

Like all good slogans we want it toencapsulate our core values as a people-led business servicing professionals in thehospitality, leisure and retail sectors.

You’ll be familiar with taglines used onhousehold names; Boddingtons (cream ofManchester), Audi (versprung durchtechnik), Nike (just do it) and McDonalds(I’m loving it) are four classics thatimmediately spring to mind. Theseexamples are all instantly memorablewithout ever mentioning promoting beer,cars, sportswear and fast food.

Our line fulfils the same function,communicating that our POS andenterprise management systems are thechoice of hospitality professionals withoutmentioning pos. There’s ample evidence ofcredentials within Impact where customerswrite about their businesses and theirexperiences with us.

The line works on another level,highlighting our own professionalismwithin our two-tier senior managementstructure and the numerous choices weoffer like on-line or off-line versions ofStockLink. While the various merits arediscussed by our development team’sMichael Ball and Will Mainwaring on thispage your specific answer depends uponyour requirements. The important issue isthat you have the choice – and always willwith IBS.

In a previous letter, I wrote about thepopularity of the drive-thru in American life.Here you can visit your bank, pharmacy orliquor store without leaving your car – and inLas Vegas you can even get married! Evenso, the biggest impact has undoubtedlybeen on Quick Service Restaurants, with60-65% of total sales coming from theirdrive-thru windows.

While there’s more to hospitality thanspeed, fast and efficient service is alwaysimportant. The major claim to fame of ourlatest US partner TriniTEQ is that they bringquicker – and more accurate – service tocasual and fine dining restaurants.

TriniTEQ is a global leader in handheld pointof sale systems. The company started outin Western Australia 10 years ago and todayhas offices in Australia, the US and the UK.

Their flagship offering is WaiterPAD, ahandheld ordering solution designed toimprove service, while increasing table turnsand average check size. WaiterPAD features

easy to read color screens, a smalllightweight form factor and a long battery life.

Restaurant handheld products have beenaround a while but performance, reliabilityand ROI issues mean they’re failing to makemajor inroads. According to TriniTEQ, that’sabout to change. WaiterPAD uses superiorwireless technology ideally suited for thehospitality industry, where high poweredmicrowaves, stainless steel, liquids, mobilephones and wireless laptops are allfrequently found. These inhibit handheldsystems that use standard “Wi-Fi” wirelesstechnology. WaiterPAD uses RadioFrequency, or “RF”. RF is a better choice forhospitality because it offers less interferenceand fewer drop outs, longer battery life,longer range and improved transmissionsthrough solid objects and liquids that tend to“shield” traditional wireless signals.

TriniTEQ also offers WaiterPOS, a Windowsbased restaurant pos system, eitherbundled with WaiterPAD or stand alone.WaiterPOS provides multiple security levels(e.g. server vs. manager) and operates in avariety of modes: quick-sale, bar, restaurantand takeaway. It offers advanced reportingfacilities and also includes time andattendance and loyalty.

Located on the Embarcadero, the WaterfrontRestaurant is one of San Francisco’sforemost dining destinations. Owner Al Falchitransformed an old longshoreman’s bar into athree level, 350 seat restaurant featuringwhite table cloth service, indoor and outdoordining, a bar and lounge and separate

upstairs dining room for private functions. I recently had lunch there with Scott Allan,TriniTEQ’s CEO. I’d already seen WaiterPADin his office, but Scott wanted me to see it ina live environment. I’m glad he chose theWaterfront!

“The WaiterPAD handheld ordering systemwas the perfect solution for our operation,”said Mr. Falchi. “Directly sending orders fromthe table side and outside patios to kitchenoperations is wonderful. We can have a drinkdelivered to the guest’s table even before theentire order has been taken. We could notoffer that speed and service before.”

We’re now working with TriniTEQ tointegrate WaiterPAD and WaiterPOS toStockLink, to provide a true enterprisesolution for multi-concept independentsand multi-national chain restaurants. We’lllook at how this relationship develops in afuture letter, but in the meantime TriniTEQhave other high profile restaurantcustomers they feel I should visit.

As they say, it’s a hard job, but someone’sgot to do it!

A Scotsman’s Letter from America

Name: Sheila Land (Left)Job title: Receptionist Status: Married, two childrenInterests: Cooking, cricket, rugby

union, walking Ambition: To go on a rugby tour of

Tonga, Samoa, Fiji and NewZealand

Name: Jeanette Redmond Job title: Receptionist Status: Married, three childrenInterests: Cats and gardening Ambition: Live in Florida

11

John Naismith is a pos

industry veteran who has

worked in Scotland,

England and Canada.

Now he operates out of Atlanta,

Georgia, in the USA, heading the IBS

invasion of North America after a spell

as President of Uniwell USA. Here is

the sixth of his letters from America.

Q1: What is your day-to-day role atIBS?

SL: We’re responsible for manning theswitchboard, greeting visitors andgeneral administration duties. Formany we’re the first port of call so weneed to convey the right impressionfrom that initial point of contact.

Q2: Where else have you worked?SL: I worked at a large manufacturing

company for 13 years. JR: Everywhere!Q3: What makes a good receptionist?SL: Treat each customer as I would like to

be treated myself while communicatingefficiency and courtesy and steeringeach call to the correct department.

JR: Listen first, speak second.

Q4: What makes IBS special in yourview?

SL: There’s a great team spirit andeveryone is on first name terms.That’s not always the case in otherlarger businesses.

JR: Everyone seems to care about whatthey do and there is a great familyatmosphere.

Q5: And your bad advice for those veryoccasional bad tempered customers?

SL: Listen and direct them to thedepartment best suited to resolvetheir issues.

JR: Bite your tongue!

IBS Profile...Sheila & Jeanette




johnlewis



FAT CATcafé bar



Issue 7 Autumn/Winter 2008

IBS launches POSLink University Challenge

Animal Magic StockLink Top of the Class

Welcome to Impact 7 A warm welcome to the Autumn/Winter 08 edition of Impact, our bi-annual magazinedesigned to keep you fully up-to-speed with the impact we’re making in the fast movingworld of pos and enterprise management technology. As you can see below and on page 10,we’ve just launched POSLink, our own very own touchscreen pos solution. It’s an excitingnew product to add to our growing StockLink portfolio, matching ease of use with numerousclever features and short cuts to give customers the ultimate in flexibility. Versatility isimportant in our industry as our contributors reveal in this issue. Clients from universities,schools and safari parks show how we make a genuine and positive difference to the waythey do business, both operationally and strategically. We hope you enjoy this edition ofImpact and trust it gives you plenty of food for thought as always. Remember, if you want tofind out more about how we can impact upon the way you run your business, simply get intouch. We’re only a telephone call or an e-mail away.

Dee Powell, editor, Impact Front cover image: POSLink is an exciting new touchscreen solution from IBS. Impact is published on behalf of Intelligent BusinessSystems (St James Road, Brackley, Northants, NN13 7XY, 01280 709 400) by AFC (www.afc-uk.org, 0161 798 8810). If you haveany comments or feedback, contact me on 01280 709 400 or e-mail me on [email protected]. We’re always delighted tohear from you.

News from IBS

2

Intelligent Business Systems has launchedPOSLink, a fully integrated, feature-richtouchscreen solution designed to helphospitality, leisure and catering enterprisessimplify sales, purchasing, reporting andbusiness control while enhancing theconsumer experience. Built around acompact Windows WEPOS platform forinstant familiarity and extra speed, the pc-based POSLink solution is expected to beone of the quickest front-of-house solutionsfor hospitality staff to learn and accuratelynavigate around. Staff new to the solution canexpect to familiarise themselves with itsfunctionality within five to 15 minutes.POSLink can be configured to suit theoperational and brand requirements ofindividual businesses, while helpful featureslike bill splitting, table management andspecial requests allow staff to focus oncustomer service and selling more. As amanagement tool, it’s equally easy for unitmanagers and head office staff to update,monitor and maintain. “POSLink aims to bethe easiest-to-use touchscreen solution in themarketplace. Our focus is on quick, easynavigation. Which is why the most popularproducts can be sold using the fewestnumber of touches while we’ve also lookedto minimise the transitions between differentscreens,” said IBS managing director, GarethPowell. “Obviously every business is differentbut they can configure POSLink to suit theirindividual and often unique requirements.”

POSLink adds new dimensionto IBS software portfolio

The University of Wolverhampton is in theprocess of upgrading many of its hospitalityfacilities to pc-based pos systems. It isanticipated that the work will be completedacross all the campuses by the end of thefinancial year. “Even though we’re havingmore sophisticated technology at ourdisposal, the touchscreens remain very easyto use thanks to IBS’s understanding of ouroperational needs.Our staff can start operating the systems withminimal training, even those who aren’t really

all that computer literate. That’s a big selling pointto me. Simplicity is the key to providing excellentservice,” says Stuart Rutty, the City campusgeneral catering manager at the University.

Stuart Rutty, the Universityof Wolverhampton’sgeneral catering managerof its City campus, writesabout why the educationsector has to match the highstreet on page 8 and 9.

Gareth Powell talks about POSLink on page 10 and 11.

University of Wolverhampton upgrade

3

Flexibility key tohardware selection IBS has introduced a three-tier hardwareportfolio to accommodate therequirements of customers that cover awide range of sectors from hospitality toretail to leisure to catering andeducation. “Understanding hardwareand the full implications of each model’sspecification is essential to ensuring thebest return on investment.Our portfolio offers threedifferent categories ofhardware depending uponon a client’s specificneeds,” says GarethPowell, IBS managingdirector. Gareth and his team havebeen busy extensively ‘road-testing’ all the models withinthe product portfolio to ensure they

are all fit forpurpose. They havecreated a three-tier to categorise thehardware accordingto whether they arepremium, standardor economy.

Oxford Organic BurgerBar goes wall-mounted IBS has installed a full pos system at thenewly opened Oxford Organic Burger Barin Oxford, the third outlet to be launched inthe town’s Cowley Road by ClintonLeisure. The others are Coco and Kazbar.This spacious bar uses only organic foodand has wall-mounted terminals to fit inwith the relaxed, open ambience of therestaurant bar. “Flexibility is importantwhenever we approach the design of anew bar. The layout demanded terminalsthat were easily accessible without beingobtrusive so mounting them on the wallswas the obvious solution,” said IBS seniorproject manager, Mark Bagnall.

IBS...in brief StockLink increasinglypopular with schoolsStockLink is an increasingly importantbusiness tool for many of the country’s leadingindependent schools like MarlboroughCollege, Gordenstoun, King’s School andHaileybury, writes Carla McKenzie of MYAConsulting. The software package is beingused to help schools plan, control andreview expenditure while also planning andnutritionally analysing menus to encouragehealthy eating. The School Food Trust isintroducing new nutrient-based foodstandards into schools. These standardshave to be interpreted and implemented in away that doesn’t detract from the quality andpresentation of the food or greatly increasethe cost of providing food and drink for thepupils. StockLink is an important part ofmanaging that process. It is also a vital toolin the constant battle to control costs. Withan anticipated 20% increase over thecoming months a very conservativeestimate, careful scrutiny of prices, stocksand staff time-management are needed to

protect the balance sheet. By using thesoftware to plan meals, organise portioncontrol and monitor production, schools arefinding StockLink offers transparency acrossall aspects of the catering departments of client schools, while easing theadministrative workload of catering staff.

See page 4 and 5 to read more from Carlaabout how StockLink is making a differenceto the independent school sector.

Intelligent Business Systems has installed apos system with StockLink professionalsoftware to help run and manage Home, abrand new chic bar and restaurant openedin Nottingham by former solicitor andentrepreneur Nick Howdle. “StockLink reallydoes give me complete control over thebusiness. For example, the live journalreports provide real time pos salesinformation. The live update facility means

changes can be madeduring service while my specially adaptedbusiness sheet providesthe vital figures on a dayto day basis,” says Nick,who is planning to rollout the brand to othertowns and cities as theconcept develops.

IBS is helping the West Midlands Safari Parkintroduce new-style kiosks over the comingmonths to speed up entrance to the Park sovisitors can spend more time with the animalsrather than waiting to get in. As part of thisprocess, IBS has been developing an e-ticketing solution so visitors can purchasetickets on-line with printed vouchers scanned in

at the kiosks. “Like the innovation of driver-sided kiosks, e-ticketing will give us theopportunity to boost sales through makingpurchasing easier and quicker for ourcustomers who come from Wales, Birmingham,Leicester, the Midlands and the north,” saysHannah Price, commercial manager at thepopular Safari Park which attracts close to halfa million visitors every year. As well as helpingdesign and instal the ticketing system at theten ticket kiosks at the entrance to the Park,IBS has provided pos and head officemanagement for the busy privately-ownedattraction. “Our work with the WMSPhighlights our ability to create bespokesoftware solutions to accommodate eachindividual’s own unique requirements,” saysDee Powell, IBS commercial director.

Hannah Price writes exclusively forImpact about the WMSP’s relationshipwith IBS on pages 6 and 7.

IBS really at home at Nottingham’s Home

IBS helping to speed up talkingto the animals

STOP PRESS: IBS is appearing at the Hospitality exhibition at theNEC Birmingham, 19-21 January2009. For more details visitwww.ibs-systems.co.uk orwwww.hospitality.co.uk.

StockLink making a difference to independent school sector

4

What do famous schools like Gordenstoun,Marlborough College, Haileybury and King’sSchool have in common - apart fromrepresenting the cream of independent schoolsin the UK and providing the next generation ofpolitical leaders and opinion formers who willshape how we live? They, along with dozens ofother leading educational establishments, useStockLink to help plan, control and reviewexpenditure - as well as plan and nutritionallyanalyse menus to encourage healthy eating.

StockLink is our recommended softwaretool to help schools run and manage theircatering departments. Whether it’s internallyfor pupils or externally for visitors andincreasingly popular revenue-generatingcorporate hospitality events, it’s an integralpart of our proposition that has establishedus as one of the country’s most effective,results-led catering consultancies.

As specialists in the independent schoolsector, our objective is to make a differenceto the way our client schools run andoperate their catering departments. Ourreputation, built over 15 years, is basedupon inspiring and delivering creativechange as part of a dynamic solution toensure our clients have catering operationsthat combine the best of all worlds withimaginative and nutritious food served inexciting environments while ensuring valuefor money throughout the process.

This process embraces a whole series ofspecialist skills and a unique understandingof the legislative and pastoral concerns thatrevolve around prestigious schools withhistories dating back several centuries.

The MYA team will design appropriate andsympathetic interior and exterior spaces tosuit the specific requirements of individualschools - while taking in to account thearchitectural significance and heritage of thebuildings. It’s a great challenge to createvisually exciting environments for youngpeople without diminishing the character ofthe schools. It’s one we relish with everyproject, especially as the presentation of thefood is key to tempting the taste buds ofchildren who can be fickle at the best oftimes. Design will cover everything fromkitchen layouts and equipment to foodcounter displays and decorating the walls ofeating spaces with appropriate images andfurnishings. The schools may have hundredsof years of amazing history behind them butthe children invariably have a thoroughlymodern perspective.

StockLink. Rebecca is responsible forreleasing the full power of the software suite,which includes the ability to raise orders,reconcile deliveries and invoices andmonitor consumption. One of the majorbenefits of the package compared to othersystems is the reports it produces. Thesecan be tailored to suit the needs of clientschools and integrated with othermanagement and accounting systems.

Carla McKenzie (left) is the managing director of MYA Consulting, whoprovide independent hotel and catering advice. As well as specialising in the private schools sector, she has previously been director of catering at the Royal Festival Hall and South Bank Centre. Here she talks about the importance of StockLink software to help schools run more effectivecatering departments without sacrificing the quality of food served to pupils.

Menu development is another major area ofexpertise where we balance several keyobjectives. Food, as we all know from ourown domestic circumstances, has to lookfresh, colourful and exciting. Obviously, ithas to be nutritious too as part of healthydiet while meeting legislative guidelines.The School Food Trust is introducing newnutrient-based food standards into schools.These standards have to be interpreted andimplemented in a way that doesn’t detractfrom the quality and presentation of thefood or greatly increase the cost ofproviding food and drink for the pupils.

Value for money and ensuring every pound iswell spent is particularly important in thecontext of rising food costs - a 20% increaseover the coming months is a very conservativeestimate - and a stagnating economy. Carefulscrutiny of prices, stocks and staff time-management all influence the balance sheet.Fortunately, StockLink gives us the controlnecessary to make a real and impressivedifference to client catering departments.

By using it to plan meals, organise portioncontrol and monitor production, it offerstransparency across all aspects of the cateringdepartments of client schools while easing theadministrative workload of catering staff.

In fact, StockLink is such an important partof our offering as a consultancy, we have ourown full-time specialist to maximise theimpact of this powerful MS Windows-basedsoftware package. Rebecca Maltby’s naturalorganisational strength and systemsexpertise make her an obvious choice tolook after the delivery and functionality of

Rebecca Maltby is MYA’s StockLink specialist witha brief to release the full power of the software,including raising orders, reconciling deliveries andinvoices and monitoring consumption.

5

Ready to be served - Andy Snook is the cateringmanager at King’s School, Canterbury, originallyfounded in 1541 and built around the famouscathedral. As well as organising meals for over750 pupils, many of whom are boarders, Andy isbusy catering for special commercial events at theschool ranging from weddings to conferences. He and his colleagues work closely with the MYAteam on a regular basis.

SIX OF THE BESTStockLink is proving to be increasinglypopular with schools. Here are six reasonswhy.

1 Helps plan meals and portion control

2 Gives catering departments bettercontrol over prices, stocks and stafftime-management

3 Offers catering transparency

4 Positively influences balance sheet

5 Helps interpret food standards

6 Eases administrative workload

“I’ve worked at the West Midlands SafariPark for six years and was delighted to beoffered a full time appointment ascommercial manager after I’d graduatedfrom the University of Bristol with a degreein Geography. After all, working at the Parkis a unique experience where no two daysare ever going to be the same. There arenew births amongst the animals throughoutthe year. Whether it’s a new white lion cub ora camel or a giraffe, each birth creates abuzz amongst the staff who work here andthe thousands who visit every day. Newadditions to the Park like Cheetahs fromSouth Africa add to the magicalatmosphere, grabbing the attention offamilies and the media in equal measure.

Obviously, the weather influences thenumbers of visitors who drive through thegates. The more sun and blue sky, thebusier the queues for the four-mile driveround the Park, which takes about 90minutes. There’re always special guestspopping in as well. Bubbly TV personalityand animal lover, Michaela Strachen, washere filming for her show about births inzoos and wildlife parks. We also welcomed

members of the GB hockey squad beforethe Olympics in China. The unpredictabilityof each day is part of the attraction - althoughfrom a business perspective we don’twelcome surprises, especially when itcomes to monitoring what’s happeningcommercially around the site.

Fortunately, we work very closely withIntelligent Business Systems, who supplyour pos technology and ticketing systemsfor the Park. Our involvement with themhelps minimise the risk factor and keepsthings running like clockwork.

As my responsibilities include retail,admissions and wristbands, I liaise withsenior project manager Mark Bagnall andthe IBS team several times a month toensure the Park runs as smoothly as possible from both pos and ticketingperspectives. It’s a long-standing relationshipbuilt on mutual trust and one of the greatthings about them is that they alwaysrespond quickly to queries and issues. I canmanage most things on the system butoccasionally need help with things likereclaiming VAT or connecting one-off

promotional offers to the journal or creatingspecial reports.

You always get the impression they aregenuinely interested in what we’re doing

JUST THE E-TICKETAMONGST THE WILDLIFE

West Midlands Safari Park isan exhilarating and exciting45 hectare reserve, home toover 600 or so fascinatinganimals from across theworld. These range frombreeding groups of whitelions, critically endangeredAfrican wild dogs and raredeer to enormous rhino,reptiles, bats and jumpingrats. It attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and is a regularstar of popular televisionprogrammes like Five’sMichaela’s Zoo Babies.Equally impressive is the pos, head officemanagement and e-ticketingsystems provided byIntelligent Business Systems,as WMSP commercialmanager, Hannah Price,explains exclusively to Impact.

Seasonal worker Ceri Cowley in one of the newstyle ticket kiosks designed to speed up admissioninto the Safari Park. The IBS system accommodatese-ticket sales where visitors pay in advance via theinternet.

7

and what we’re trying to achieve. One ofthe things I really like about them is that theyare also very proactive and take aconsultative approach to the way they carryout their business.

For instance, IBS designed and installed theticketing system for the ten ticket kiosks atthe Park’s entrance. This system needs tobe able to seamlessly accommodate up to10,000 visitors per day when the Park’s atfull capacity during bank holidays andsummer season peaks. After all, we arebusy marketing the Park throughout theyear - and have numerous awards to provethe success of our efforts, which arehandled by our internal marketing andcreative team. We advertise on televisionand billboards around the Midlands, sendout a quarter of a million direct mail piecesfrom our database, release numerous pressand media stories - and run lots of specialincentives to drive repeat business.

One of the beauties of the system designed byIBS is that we have a real time snapshot ofexactly how many people are in the Park at anyone time and the income we’re generating. Theinformation appears on the computers of seniorstaff so the likes of General Manager AshleyGillam and Director of Wildlife Bob Lawrencecan see how we’re doing hour by hour.

We’re introducing new-style driver-sidedkiosks over the coming months to try andspeed up entrance to the Park so visitorscan spend more time with the animalsrather than waiting to get in. As part of thisprocess, IBS worked with us to helpdevelop an e-ticketing solution so visitorscan purchase tickets on-line with printedvouchers scanned in at the kiosks. Like theinnovation of driver-side kiosks, e-ticketingwill give us the opportunity to boost salesthrough making purchasing easier andquicker for our customers who come fromWales, Birmingham, Leicester, the Midlands

and the north. Visitors can use the ticketsanytime they want during the relevant season.

IBS has also made its presence felt in thePlaza retail area, home to our African TradingPost shop and pizza and ice cream parlours.We use PC POS terminals and StockLinksoftware in the shop. The system is easy forstaff to use so they can concentrate onlooking after customers while the salesreporting and stock control informs us aboutwhich popular lines to reorder and when. Theshop’s packed full of DVDs, gifts and brilliant,high quality cuddly toys, including our ownspecially commissioned white lions. Theseare unique to us and many of our visitors liketo take away a really special souvenir. Afterall, we were the first wildlife park to introducea pride of rare white lions in 2004 - and wewere also delighted to have been able toannounce the first ever white lion cubs to beborn in the UK. The arrival of four cubs thendoubled our white lion population, which nownumbers 20.

Whether they are real or toys, we’re alwaysstriving to reach the highest standards witheverything we do. That includes the day today running of the business. Here the likes

of IBS are helping usperform to ourpotential. However,we know in anincreasingly

competitive leisureand entertainmentmarket, we cannever stand still sovisitors can lookforward to evenmore attractions andfurtherenhancements to ourtechnology courtesyof IBS as we growtogether.

The West Midlands Safari Park has pickedup numerous prestigious awards for itsmarketing and promotional campaigns,writes general manager. Ashley Gillam.We’re extremely busy and we need to be.With over 400 full time and seasonal staffand hundreds of precious animals to protectand look after, we have to maximise thenumber of visitors at every opportunity. Weregularly advertise on television andbillboards. We send out mailshots to aquarter of a million loyal customers. We giveaway free return tickets with full price ticketsto encourage repeat business. There arespecial VIP packages where visitors can getup close to the animals with our keepers.And we’re always keen to develop corporatebusiness by organising fun days for thefamilies. The Co-Op, Lloyds and Orange arethree names that spring to mind who havebrought thousands of guests to the site forspecial events where we set aside areas forlunch and entertainment. Also this activityhas to be monitored and controlled which iswhere the system provided by IBS proves tobe so valuable as a business tool.

The West Midland Safari Park firstopened in 1973 and covers an area of 200acres that combines four miles of self-drivesafari, a discovery trail, amusement area,live shows, cafes and themed retail shops.It stages a wide variety of annual eventsincluding a summer symphony, summernights, safari illuminations, bonfire bonanzaand santa safari.

Gobi, an eight week old camel rejected by her mother, has an insatiable appetite for milk.

THE MORE THEMERRIER

8

The biggest, most fundamental change inuniversity catering operations in recent yearshas been an instinctive almost innateunderstanding that we have to aspire to thesame exacting standards of commercialcatering chains and brands operating in the highstreet. Students, irrespective of their age orwhether they’re doing full or part time courses,expect us to deliver vastly improved servicescompared to say a decade or two ago.

Even though we’re essentially contractcaterers, the introduction of tuition fees hasput a different complexion on how studentsview the university catering experience. Ifthey’re paying for their education out of theirown pockets they won’t accept inferiorstandards compared to the other placesthey visit in city and town centres. Thismood change is also indicative of thenational trend for people to go to their localuniversity. They feel more comfortabledemanding better service on home territory.But while they want the same quality foodand drink and matching service, they alsofeel educational establishments should besubsidising the price they have to pay.

To be fair, they have a valid point. We shouldbe able to match what the high streetcommercial operators offer as we share thesame vastly improved technology. A decentcup of coffee can be made and served quiteeasily. Likewise we can access the samepos touchscreen and enterprise managementtechnology and software to emulate theservice standards and operational controls.

At the University of Wolverhampton we’veenjoyed a good relationship with IntelligentBusiness Systems for several years. We’reusing the same pc-based solutions that canbe found in national restaurant, pizza andpub chains and fast food outlets. Thistechnology gives us the same mindset asour high street counterparts and helps usmove with the times. That’s all part of ourobligation to give the 26,000 students of theUniversity of Wolverhampton a servicewherever and whenever they are studying.For instance, our day runs from 8.30am to6.45pm to take into account full and parttime students attending lectures andclasses during the day and in the evening.

Like many high street hospitality businesses,we’re in the process of upgrading many ofour tills to pos systems. Hopefully the workwill be completed across all five campusesby the end of the financial year. Even thoughwe’re having more sophisticated technologyat our disposal, the touchscreens remainvery easy to use. Our staff can startoperating the systems with minimal training,even those who aren’t really that computerliterate. That’s a big selling point to me. Simplicity is key to providing excellentservice.

The systems also have to be easy formanagement to use otherwise they’llneglect useful features. I’ve seen this sortof thing in the hotel industry where they’llignore something that’s too difficult.

Luckily, we’re blessed with a strongcatering team at the university. We’ve beentogether for a considerable length of timeand they’ve responded positively to thenew kit and the IBS training. We’re usingthe system for recipe costings, regularsales reports checks and to forecastbudgets. It’s a great management tool forus at the university as it speeds up our wayof working. This is especially importantwhen we’re adopting a more commercialperspective. We find we’re doing morelucrative extra curricular work during thesummer holidays and other vacations. Theinflux of foreign students influences ourworkload. Initially it was students fromHong Kong. Now it’s more Italians andKoreans.

Stuart Rutty, the general catering manager of the City campus, theUniversity of Wolverhampton’s flagship site, has been involved in the hospitality sector throughout his working life. He started full timeat the Castle Hotel in Taunton the week celebrity chef Gary Rhodesleft. After moving to the Regency Hotel in Solihul, he was the deputy house manager at a Birmingham cinema complex. Here he talks about how universities have to up their standards asfee-paying students demand catering facilities to match high streetfood and drink offerings.

Universitychallenge -aiming tograduate tohigh streetstandards!

9

I suppose it’s ironic in a way that just as ourstudents demand more from us, we wantmore from our suppliers. Crucially, as far asI’m concerned, IBS are happy to oblige andare always responsive to our needs. Goodrelationships are key and it’s great not tohave to call our pos supplier and havesomeone sounding miffed at the end of thephone because there’s an issue. It alsobuilds confidence when you know yoursupplier is in it for the long term and canprovide on-going quality, professionalsupport. The pos market is a cut-throatbusiness and is relatively easy to enter -

Impact asks the University of Wolverhamptoncatering operations manager, SusanWarrender, how IBS influences thestrategic management of the cateringand hospitality facilities.

Q: How long has the university workedwith IBS?

A: Off the top of my head it’s been seven oreight years. I remember we had a goodlook around at what was available in themarket at the time and IBS ticked all theright boxes. They’re still ticking the rightboxes today.

Q: You’ve been upgrading your systemwith pc-based technology? What’sdriven that investment?

A: Changing needs and circumstances of ouroperation really and the need to maintaintight controls over what we do. We arespread out over a large geographic area,unlike a lot of educational institutions. Wehave five different sites. Our maincampuses are in Wolverhampton but wealso have locations in Walsall and inTelford which are 10 and 24 miles fromhere respectively. StockLink is designedfor multi-site operations and is ideal forour needs.

Q: What are the key benefits as far asyou’re concerned.

A: We use it primarily to manage stock,place orders and control costs. Thereporting and business sheets show us

where they are increasing, monitorwhat’s going on across the cateringfunction, whether it’s the cafes andrestaurants or special hospitality events.It’s also invaluable to make sure wefollow the correct processes. Forexample, managers can only orderwhat’s on the system. Nothing else canbe added without prior clearance.Although managers access the systemwith a pc, updates and orders aremanaged by the central office.

Q: Have you realised the full potential ofthe system yet?

A: I’m sure we haven’t. One of the joys of thesystem from what I can see is that you canexplore its full capabilities as your ownoperation matures. For instance, we’readding recipes for greater cost control.

Q: How have your staff taken to thesystem?

A: Very well although after a while badhabits can creep in. IBS helped us out byorganising a special one-off training dayto highlight the benefits of the systemand ensure staff followed the right way ofdoing things. That sort of attention todetail makes a big difference.

Still ticking theright boxes

though it’s more difficult to attain andmaintain top-end status.

Technology within the catering industry isvery exciting and is changing the way thatwe approach our business. IBS has helpedus compete on a level playing field withcommercial operators with the use of theirnew pos systems. I’m looking forward toseeing where they take the technology inthe future. One direction is a situation wherephones will have cash on them and be usedas a form of payment or credit card. I’veread about trials in Australia, where theconcept is being tried out.

University of Wolverhampton - home to 26,000 students after value for money.

Branding in catering facilities is graphic, eye-catching - and wouldn’t look out of place in acommercial bar or restaurant.

10

POSLink has been developed as a directresponse to customers who like what they’regetting with the StockLink modular softwaresuite and want to see it emulated with atouchscreen solution. Every time we’ve beenasked, we’ve always agreed it’s a great ideaand a win-win situation for everyoneconcerned. Clients benefit from a top class,high specification solution which isspecifically designed to help hospitalityenterprises simplify sales, purchasing,reporting and business control. At the sametime, they have a front-of-house tool thatgreatly enhances the overall consumerexperience.

From our end, we have what we consider to bethe best solution of its kind on the market,created by the same developers responsible forthe evolution of StockLink. We know it insideout and how to successfully apply it across awide range of different businesses. Its versatilityand best-of-breed capabilities are going to bekey selling points. Our core pos solution can betailored and configured to the unique needs ofbusinesses that all have their own specificrequirements. What’s more, the initialconfiguration will be done by industryprofessionals who are among the mostexperienced and knowledgeable in thehospitality, leisure, retail and education sectors.

It’s an attractive proposition made evenstronger by the fact that it runs on various PCPOS terminals. We’ve gone for this versatilitybecause we appreciate that the budgets andrequirements for enterprises differ wildly.Having hardware choices (from economy tostandard to premium) gives clients the priceand specification functionality to suit theirown needs.

So, let’s take a closer look at POSLink. LikeStockLink, it’s built around a Windows MSplatform for instant familiarity. Microsoft hascreated an operating system specifically forthe retail industry called ‘WEPOS’ (WindowsEmbedded at Point of Service). Thisoperating system has all the unnecessaryparts, such as games and accessories,removed - which makes the operatingplatform much more compact and faster touse. Although POSLink can be used on anystandard MS operating system, WEPOS willbe our standard platform of choice.

As a pc-based solution, we fully expect it tobe recognised as one of the quickest front-of-house solutions on the market. That’s alwaysbeen a key goal for everything we do as a

POSLink is the latest additionto the modular StockLinksuite that embraces all thetools needed to run andmanage successfulhospitality, catering, leisureand retail enterprises.

StockLink Professional:users stay fully informed withpos, stock reporting andweekly business sheets on tap,whenever they want them.

StockLink Enterprise:users really do see the bigpicture and so much more withextensive illuminating enterprisemanagement intelligence.Crucial not only for operationalstaff but an essential weapon for head office staffwhen it comes to makinginformed, empirical decisions.

StockLink CustomerOrdering:users can add a new dimensionto their enterprises with real time on-line ordering for faster, flexible, better sales. A natural progression for anyone looking for extra revenue streams.

StockLink Loyalty &Promotions:used is to communicate directlyto customers with costeffective, highly-focused pos-led direct marketing at thefraction of the price of hit-and-miss traditionaladvertising and expense directmailshots. Speak to the peoplewho already buy from you orare most likely to want topurchase from your business.

The launch of POSLink by IBS gives clientsaccess to a fully integrated, feature-richtouchscreen solution that perfectlycomplements and seamlessly integrateswith the consultancy’s versatile StockLinkmodular software suite. The combination will enhance the ability ofhospitality, leisure and retail enterprises torun better, more profitable businesses. IBS managing director, Gareth Powell, (right)is delighted to add POSLink to the productportfolio as it gives clients a complete in-house developed solution from one source supported by extensive sector-specific experience, as he explains here.

POSLINK PACKS APOWERFUL PUNCH

Age: 55Job title: EngineerMarried: Debbie Children: Three boysInterests: Sport - watching rugby and

cricket. I liked to play but myknees didn’t. Guess who won that battle?

11

Q1: How long have you worked for IBS?A1: About five years. Before I came here

I was fixing mobile phones. I was a projectmanager for a telecommunicationscompany in South Africa.

Q2: What’s your day to day role at IBS?A2: In-house repairs of hardware like POS

terminals, printers and kitchen dispensers.I love the challenge of discoveringwhat’s wrong with things and thenmaking them as good as new again. I also do some of the programming andsort out the delivery and dispatch ofconsumables to clients.

Q3: What makes IBS special?A3: The people who work here are all

great. It’s a good atmosphere thatcascades down from Gareth and Dee.Everyone takes pride in what they doand it shows with the clients we have.When I was very ill everyone was verysupportive. Gareth and Dee wereabsolutely fantastic, helping me and myfamily through it all. It’s very muchappreciated by me and rest of myfamily. It’s a close-knit company - asI’ve learned first hand. And I’m glad it is.

Q4: What is your approach to your work? A4: Do things as quickly and

conscientiously as possible to thehighest standards. And always lookto improve. You’re never too young orold to get better. Apart from theknees, of course.

Q5: What’s your biggest professionalachievement?

A5: In terms of IBS, it’s applying myknowledge of electronics to the eposmarket. If I can help save money forthe company and clients then I’mvery satisfied.

IBS Profile...Anthon Brits

consultancy. Always create solutions thatanyone can use in a matter of minutes. Keepit simple. After extensive testing andresearch, we expect staff new to the solutionto familiarise themselves with its functionalitywithin five to 15 minutes.

That means they’re selling and interacting withcustomers almost immediately, rather thanbeing confused by what they have to do next.

We’ve deliberately looked to speed up theselling process. The most popular salesitems, irrespective of what they are fordifferent businesses, require the least numberof touches. Two or three at most will transformthe ordering and purchasing processes.During special promotions and happy hours,the list of popular sales items can be changedor amended to accommodate additionalproducts that are going to be heavily pushedtowards customers. Helpful features likegraphical table management, bill splitting,customer re-order and special requests allowstaff to focus on customer service and sellingmore, while the solution can be configured tomatch the brands of enterprises competing inan increasingly tough market.

Clearly the front-of-house aspect stands out asfast, accurate new business tools. However,we’ve not neglected the equally importantback office functionality. As a managementtool, it’s just as easy for unit managers andhead office staff to update, monitor andmaintain as it for the front-of-house staff to use.Back office options cover extensive reportingfacilities, on-the-spot and planned businesschecks including stock controls and numeroussafety and security measures. POSLink can beupdated, amended and accessed online,irrespective of the location or the number ofsites networked to it. An automatic data back-up protects the information it holds in the eventof power cuts or server failure. Securityincludes multi-level password protection andrestricted area access.

The launch of POSLink complements themodular pos and enterprise managementStockLink software suite marketed by us at

IBS. StockLink is extensively used by manyof the UK and Europe’s leading independentand multisite hospitality businesses. Thetwo software modules seamlessly integrateand combine together to provide a completebusiness solution for hospitality, leisure andcatering operators from one pos specialist.

Both are going to be developed and enhancedas the needs of our clients’ change, which isone of the great things about having all oursoftware in-house. We’ve recently addedcustomer ordering and loyalty modules to thecore StockLink proposition and there’s muchmore on its way. Rest assured, we’re going tobe upgrading and developing solutions asinnovators rather followers. By taking theinitiative, we’re focusing on giving customers amore professional choice that they come toexpect from IBS.

But obviously don’t take our word for it. Askfor a demonstration and see POSLink inaction as soon as possible. We think you’llbe positively impressed.

POSlink is a truly versatile touchscreen solutioncomplete with internet-based communicationsand programming options. It caters for hospitalityfunctions from ‘Quick Service’ to ‘Fine Dining’while its multiple ‘look and feel’ options allows itto fit in with client brand aesthetics andguidelines. Designed to make HQ terminalprogramming much simpler, impressive POSlinkfeatures also include stock countdown onbuttons, right or left hand user screens, table and seat numbers or names, last roundrecall and super-fast Dutch and split billing.




johnlewis



FAT CATcafé bar


Issue 5 Autumn/Winter 2007


GBK seriously serious about burgersNelson’s Column’s in the shadeOn-line loyalty’s your flexible friendAndy Price getting it right in Bournemouth

Welcome to Impact 5A warm welcome to the Autumn/Winter 07 edition of Impact, our bi-annual magazine thatshows you the impact we’re making within the fast-moving world of pos technology. Whenwe were researching the features with various clients for this issue, one commondenominator that united them was their ability to win prestigious hospitality awards for thequality of their offerings. It’s a tribute to their determination, foresight and the way they runtheir enterprises. We hope we’ve contributed to the various success stories! Ourcommitment to help all our customers stay at the top of their games is as strong as everand is encapsulated by the launch of our on-line loyalty module (see page 10) which is atruly flexible means of encouraging increased spend and profits. Enjoy this issue. We hopeit gives you plenty of food for thought as always. Don’t hesitate to contact us to find out howwe can impact upon your business.

Dee Powell, editor, ImpactFront cover image: Nick Wong outside St Paul’s Gourmet Burger Kitchen. Impact is published on behalf of Intelligent BusinessSystems (St James Road, Brackley, Northants, NN13 7XY, 01280 709 400) by Creativespace2 (www.creativespace2.com). If youhave any comments or feedback, contact me on 01280 709 400 or e-mail mail to: [email protected]. We are alwaysdelighted to hear from you.

News from IBS

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London-based Geronimo Inns, named thePublican’s tenant/leased Pub Company ofthe Year, has commissioned IBS tocustomise stock take results in its 16-strong gastro-pub chain’s back officesystems and is now deploying StockLink Vand real-time polling. ‘The idea is to getright into heart of the existing calculationsand re-engineer the results to specificallysuit the customer,’ says IBS projectmanager Justin Atkinson. ‘We can quicklyachieve this by using the in-built ‘stockresult designer module.’ Geronimo,founded by former Veuve Clicquotinternational marketing director, RupertClevely, launched its first site at the turn ofthe millennium and has made a significantimpact within the hospitality industry. Half adozen are now Michelin rated with two –the Tin Goose (above) and the Three Bells –located airside at Heathrow Airport. Anadditional three gastro pubs are due toopen in the near future, including one atHeathrow’s new Terminal 5 when it opensearly next year.

John Lewis, named the UK’s top retailer by Which magazine earlier this year, is developinginnovative concepts to capture the imagination of discerning customers. Its newly openedflagship Oxford Street store has just completed a massive £61.1m refurbishmentprogramme, doubling the catering offering to 20,000 sq ft. Here the focus is on the latesteating-trends of London’s West End, where speed-lunching and tackling desserts as themain course are extremely popular. Ensuring everything runs quickly and smoothly is IBS,who have provided the enterprise business management tools at the revitalised Oxford Roadstore’s catering facilities. IBS supplies all John Lewis's 29 UK outlets.

Geronimoflying high

Are you being served fast enough?

3

IBS is currently in the process of introducing areal-time easyJet-style internet-based e-ticketingsystem at the immensely popular 30-year oldWest Midlands Safari Park. Customers at theexciting park, recently featured on ITV, will beable to purchase tickets on-line. Printed outvouchers can be scanned at the 10-till entrancesystem. IBS also provides catering systems forthe park which takes into account the seasonalnature of its business as catering outlets willopen and close depending upon demand. Thepark uses PC POS terminals and StockLink V5software.

IBS takespride of placeat Safari Park Flexible StockLink

on-line loyaltymodule launchedby IBS

IBS has added an on-line loyalty module toStockLink, which can be purchased outrightor added to Service Level Agreements.The internet-based module is flexible,versatile and easy to learn and use.Clients promote their own loyaltymembership programmes and marketingactivity through specific pages on their ownwebsites with an on-line registration link tothe IBS www.The module can be deployed in any numberof ways to suit the client. The same cardcan be used for discount, loyalty andcashless activity.Pre-printed, pre-programmed membershipcards with random six-digit ID codes areprovided by IBS. Customers are invited toregister on-line with their details andpersonal number or to apply direct to theclient.‘The module is a cost-effective, user-friendly, highly-targeted marketing tool thatgets results for a fraction of the price oftraditional promotional methods likeadvertising and direct mail,’ said IBScommercial director, Dee Powell.

Queue busters wrapit up with layoutrethinkWrap It Up!, the highly original world wrap,salad and soup bar in London’s Bishopgateopposite Liverpool station, wanted toimprove sales. Long queues of customersmeant missed sales opportunities and aslower than necessary service. OwnerAfnan Bashir asked IBS’s Justin Atkinsonand Gareth Powell to see if they could comeup with a solution as they had installed thepos system. The result is an additional 5-10% coming through the doors. The nextstep is to introduce on-line ordering. TimeOut magazine was impressed by the newlayout: in a review it writes ‘Wrap it Up! doesa pretty good job of easing confusion.’

Mick Thurlby, an award winning farmer-turned-publican, is creating a stir in Lincolnshire,revitalising and reopening a string of pubs inthe county with the goal of creating ‘pubswhere he’d like to drink.’ IBS is providing PCPos terminals coupled with StockLink softwareat recent refurbishments, including Stamford’sToby Norris and Periwing hostelries. PA JustineAtkins is impressed with the supportprovided by IBS and is planning to convertthe rest of the estate.

The Clapham House Group, the ambitiousrestaurantoperators launched less than four yearsago, has appointed IBS to roll out StockLink-based epos systems for its Gourmet BurgerKitchen brand. The brand, one of four owned bythe group, was purchased as a six-unit chain.Clapham expects to open up to a hundred newoutlets in the future. Clapham House FinancialDirector Nick Wong said: ‘We wanted to automateand simplify the entire process, ensure it was100% secure and accurate and have instantaccess to thenecessary reports tomake informeddecisions from director level through to ouroperational managers out in the restaurants.’

Award-winning restaurateur and south coastentrepreneur, Andy Price, has commissionedIBS to provide pos systems for two newrestaurants opened in Bournemouth this year.Touch-screen and handheld terminals togetherwith StockLink professional managementsoftware has been installed at Aruba, locatedon the town’s Pier Approach overlookingmagnificent sandy beaches, and the PrintRoom, situated further inland in the localevening newspaper’s old printing works. Bothvenues are looking to emulate the success ofAndy’s first venture, WestBeach, named BestSeafood Restaurant in England in 2005/2006.

Andy Price writes for Impact about thelaunch of his new restaurants and IBS.See pages 4 & 5.

Nick Wong writes exclusively aboutIBS’s appointment on pages 6 & 7.

StockLink On-Line Special in the nextissue of Impact

IBS creating a south coast splash

Farmer’s IBS delight

Gourmet Burger Kitchen Roll Out

IBS...in brief

4

For me the thrill of it all is doing a project welland looking back on it with pride. A greatexample is my first restaurant venture.WestBeach offers the finest fish and seafooddelivered to our front door on the pier byexpert local fishermen and continues tocollect awards and applause in equalmeasure. The popular seafront restauranthas followed up the prestigious AA BestSeafood Restaurant in England for2005/2006 award with great feedback thissummer from the renowned and respectedSunday Times restaurant critic AA Gill. Hisfour star review is a tribute to theoutstanding team effort at WestBeach. Greatreviews and awards are almost as satisfyingas the faces of happy customers afterthey’ve dined with us!

Now we’re really focused on emulating thesuccess of WestBeach elsewhere in the townand a busy 2007 has seen us launch twobrand new restaurants with exciting plans toopen or refurbish others in the pipeline.

In the summer we opened Aruba, ideallylocated on Bournemouth’s Pier Approachand a stone’s throw from WestBeach. Aruba

inspiration from other brasseries all over theworld including London, New York andParis. The layout of the building worked welland everything was in the right place fromthe start. The loading bay has remained andis ideal for car launches or fashion shows,providing easy access to the venue.

However, it’s not always that obvious abouthow to develop a concept. WestBeach cameabout as a result of the council writing to usabout the old WestBeach café. I alreadyknew the building and loved it so we wentfor it. The original concept, however, was fora tapas bar with a Mediterranean menu. Thisbecame more fish orientated because of ourlocation on the coast.

The restaurant business, like any other,involves spotting an opportunity and applyingliberal portions of perspiration and inspiration.For instance, the amusement gaming partof my business, which is a small part of whatI do, was a bit of an accident really.

Bournemouth entrepreneur,restaurateur and the creatorof the travel terminus Gamegridentertainment brand, AndyPrice, (above right) leavesnothing to chance when itcomes to the restaurantbusiness, including selectinghis pos system,as he explains to Impact.

Three distinctly differentofferings, one vision

offers the very best of beach-side dining inBournemouth with freshly-preparedsignature fusion dishes inspired by the bestcuisine from around the world andinfluenced by Polynesian, Caribbean andPan-European food. Like all my concepts,Aruba mixes stunning cuisine with an equallyimpressive environment and atmosphere. Inthis instance guests can enjoy breathtaking180-degree panoramic sea views taking inBournemouth’s infamous sandy beaches.

This Autumn saw us move away from theseafront with the launch of the Print Room inthe town centre.

The Print Room is housed in thenewspaper’s old print presses, whichbecame obsolete in early 90’s followingdigitisation of the printing processes, hencethe name.

When I was shown round the art decopremises by the Echo’s MD I thought that itwas the ideal site for a classic French/NewYork style brasserie and that’s what it hasbecome to stunning effect. The ground floorspace divides into two separate areas. Thebrasserie, with one of the longest bars I’veever seen, is in ‘The Print Room’ and ‘Ink’,which is aimed principally at the businessmarket with its fast lunch time food offer anda huge range of wines, beers and spirits. ThePrint Room provides a classical environmentwhich pays homage to the old newspaperdays. Both venues offer an all-dayexperience if you want it. You can start in themorning with breakfast and work your waythrough the different areas enjoying thecharcuterie, then the patisserie, a bit like theHarrods food court actually!

In all seriousness, I knew exactly what Iwanted from the first day that I walked intothe building. I wanted a brasserie and took

1

5

I was working in marketing and advertisingand just happened to write to Gatwickairport in the early 90's with a concept andthey asked whether we would operate alltheir entertainment. We still have 300 gamemachines there as well as a number of otherairports such as Bournemouth, Prestwickand Glasgow. Finding restaurant locationscan follow the same ‘good fortune’ pattern.

A restaurant can easily take a good two orthree years of planning and research beforeyou can go forward with it. However, whileI’m happy to find locations almost by‘accident’, I don’t leave the businesselements to chance.

We’ve started to use Intelligent BusinessSystems as our pos systems provider thisyear. They came highly recommended froma colleague. The best advertising is alwaysword of mouth. I met up with the teamincluding MD Gareth Powell and projectmanager Justin Atkinson and wasimpressed by what they showed us.

Since then they’ve provided us with touch-screen terminals for Aruba and thePrint Room and StockLink professionalmanagement software to ensure we canexert all the necessary management andbusiness controls across the two restaurants.We’ve also taken handheld ordering units,which are ideal for taking outdoor orders.

As well as the hardware and softwareelements, they’ve provided invaluableconsultancy advice. They’ve got a wealth ofexperience within the hospitality sectorwhich we’ve been able to tap in to in orderto run efficient restaurants. It’s so easy tolessen the impact of an eating outexperience by getting the order wrong orbeing slow to produce a bill at the end of themeal. That part of the equation is every bit asimportant as the quality of the food, therange of wines and drinks and the carefullycrafted ambience.

Both the Aruba and Print Room launcheshave created a stir with Bournemouthresidents and visitors to the town alike.Ideally, I wouldn’t mind taking a couple ofweeks off but I’m not sure when. HaveI mentioned the church project and the hotelin the New Forest…?

1) Leaving a mark in all good food guides – AndyPrice hopes the impact of WestBeach will soon befollowed by similar critical acclaim for Aruba andthe Print Room.

2) Always tempting at the new Print Room

3) Once busy printing the news, the old Echo printworks is now a stunning brasserie and bar inspiredby London, New York and Paris. The Print Roomhas 40 foot ceilings yet still maintains a greatfeeling of intimacy thanks to the subtle use oflighting and soft furnishings.

4) Just one of the reasons why Aruba should beemulating WestBeach’s award winning cuisine

5) Aruba has stunning 180 degree panoramic viewsof Bournemouth’s sandy beaches and blue seas.

2 32

4 5

GBK serious about burgers,serious about POS

7

We are growing rapidly and have activelylooked at all the different POS andenterprise management solutions in themarket before committing to IBS as ourpreferred supplier for the extensive GourmetBurger Kitchen (GBK) roll out.

With an aggressive roll out programme plannedfor all four Clapham House brand concepts (weare opening 20 or more GBKs this year) wehave to be spot on with key decisions.

Naturally, this review process can be atough time for an incumbent supplier likeIBS even though a lot of our seniormanagement team know the companythrough personal experience during theirtime with PizzaExpress and, of course, theysupplied Tootsies prior to our acquisition ofthe brand last year.

As we went out to the market to look atalternatives I could empathise with anyunease shown by Gareth and his team atIBS knowing we were looking elsewhere.However, after our POS review we knew IBSwas right for us.

It was apparent, in our view, that there arefew POS specialists able to meet theexacting demands of a forward-thinkingdynamic company like Clapham House.

Our goals for a considerable POSinvestment were clear. We wanted toautomate and simplify the entire process,

ensure it was 100% secure and accurateand have instant access to the necessaryreports to make informed decisions fromdirector level through to our operationalmanagers out in the restaurants.

Previously, all reporting was manuallyimported into Excel from an inherited POSsystem, a labour-intensive and time-consuming process which delayed decisionmaking.

This process is now fully automated. Wehave overlayed the StockLink system withour own reporting suite that sends outrelevant reports to the appropriate peopleon a weekly basis to give our seniormanagement team the tools andinformation to make and implementdecisions. The benefits of real-timereporting and identifying the informationrequired to run a successful hospitalitybusiness should never be underestimated.

Where IBS scored highly was their desire tolisten to our demands (and to be blunt weare quite demanding in a highly competitivebusiness environment). We have greatambitions for all our brands, especiallyGBK. It may be a simple operation as Javedexplains below but it still requiressophisticated, easy-to-understand real timereporting. Maintaining and improving costcontrols are essential, especially as ourlonger term ambitions are to have over 100restaurants nationwide in the coming years.

We originally acquired GBK with sixrestaurants and one of our first initiativeswas to implement tight cost controlprocedures. We first put an IBS system ontrial at Ealing. This was successful, I ampleased to report. IBS has worked well withour team to integrate StockLink into ourbespoke wide area network infrastructureand embraced the difficult challenge ofworking with our latest technology.

One aspect of the IBS approach thatparticularly impresses me is their ability tosee the big picture and to understand thenature of our business. Their significantexperience in the restaurant industry meansthey brought a wealth of expertise inbusiness reporting to the table.

We’ve only just started out on whatpromises to be a great journey but it’s goodto have IBS at our side.

Nick Wong, a physics graduate from Imperial College, qualified as a chartered accountantwith Baker Tilly and specialised in corporate finance. He joined Clapham House to head upthe group finance function three years ago and was appointed Group Finance Director ayear later. His favourite Clapham House dish is the Pesterella burger from the GourmetBurger Kitchen. Here he talks about the importance of POS and IBS to Clapham House.

Q: What’s so special about GBK?A: Lots of things. One is knocking the

perception of a burger as ONLY afast food option very firmly on thehead.

Q: How’s it done that?A: Simple. GBK is a concept based

around a nutritious sophisticatedproduct and the best, freshestingredients. Innovative and exoticburger combinations have beendesigned by internationallyrecognised chef Peter Gordon.

Q: Surely a burger is a burger?A: You’re joking! I know you’re joking. At

GBK we offer an extensive range offreshly prepared burgers to suit alltastes and appetites, from classicflavour combinations such asChicken, Camembert and Cranberry,or Beef, Avocado and Bacon, toexciting new combinations like

Chorizo and Sweet Potato, Lamb andMinted Relish, or the vegetarianPortabella Mushroom burger.

Q: Manchester’s a very impressivelayout with lots of iconic picturesand a very fresh design. What areyou trying to achieve?

A: Ambience, atmosphere and the rightenvironment is critical to the GBKproposition. Our outlets should beseen as places to eat and relax. GBKpremises reflect the sheer simplicity ofthe operation. The décor is clean, crispand fresh. The kitchen is clearly visibleso customers see what they are goingto eat.

Q: How’s GBK going down beyondLondon?

A: They are loving it. Gourmet burgers arerecognised as a favoured way ofeating for busy people and familiesseeking good quality convenient food.

GBK Operations Manager JavedAkhtar is a busy man, up anddown the country overseeing theroll out of the Gourmet BurgerKitchen brand. Impact caught upwith him at the newly launchedGBK restaurant in Manchester’sSpinnyfield Left Bankdevelopment.

8

I moved to England lock, stock and barrelfrom Pforzheim, Germany, just under adecade ago with the intention of setting uphome and starting a family with my wife, apublic relations professional who had agreat job in London.

Although I’d been a successful jewellerywholesaler, the sparkle had gone from theprofession, if you’ll excuse the pun, and Iwas looking to fire my imagination withother business concepts.

One of the immediate differences betweenGermany and England was the lack of goodbread and I quickly saw an opportunity tomove into a niche market retailing andwholesaling special breads.

I teamed up with a baker and used mybusiness and marketing acumen to create ateam dedicated to baking the best possiblebread on a daily basis. Just as important asthe product, our outlets would becomefocal points for their local communities, ameeting place for customers throughout theday. So as well as retailing bread, we havefacilities for customers to sit, stop, have achat, enjoy something to drink and eat.We’ve done the job so well that when I visitour St John’s store, I have to enter throughthe back otherwise I can be sidetracked forhours by friendly customers!

Our brand concept was named the 'BreadShop' to avoid any confusion about whatwe did. All the products are made fromspecially selected wheat, flour and otherkey ingredients to ensure we alwaysmaintain a superior standard and taste.

We even have our own nutritionist as part ofthe Bread Shop team. Australian graduateStephanie Driver specialises in nutritionaland herbal medicine and dispenses healthtips on a regular basis to our customers.She’s our prettier and less noisy version ofJamie Oliver, who you may know from hiswork promoting a certain well-knownsupermarket!

Not that we were trying to compete with thesupermarkets. Our goal was and is to offerthe best quality, freshest bread money canbuy, which, until now, has not always beenreadily available. We wanted and still wantto turn buying bread into a pleasure ratherthan a daily chore. When visiting the BreadShop, we want our customers to enjoy andrelish the aromas and be able to taste thefreshness when they walk in.

We now have five units with a sixth openingin Bluewater soon. Our breads can also befound in Selfridges, Harrods and otherindependent outlets, where there is a strongdemand for a wide choice and variety ofspecial breads.

In terms of our POS systems, IBS has beeninvolved from the start and we’re grateful fortheir expertise and the benefits of a long-standing relationship. Gareth Powell and histeam were recommended by Formation, theshop designers who provided the distinctiveeye-catching, earthy, natural feel of the self-service Bread Shop high street andwholesale brand.

The IBS till system, which utilises StockLinksoftware, has been essential for businesscontrol from day one. It ensures we have themechanisms in place to run the businesseffectively and correctly. Without a goodsystem and the on-going support of Garethand our project team led by Justin Atkinsonwe wouldn’t be able to manage thebusiness and control our costs on animpressive £1.2m turnover so well.

While I’m pleased with what we’ve achievedto date, one of the beauties of the

IBS system is its modular nature and we’relooking forward to unlocking further tools asand when they are needed.

To prepare for further expansion I’veappointed an operations director. Deniz Gulis an industry veteran with over 20 yearsexperience and is helping shape theconcept ready for expansion. He’s workedwith lots of systems but gives IBS thethumbs up for the information and reports itprovides to help the decision makingprocess.

Together Deniz and I feel the time is right totake advantage of an increasingly healthconscious and morediscerning buyingpublic. We’ve got theproducts, the staff andthe business controlsystems in place sowe’re all lookingforward to rising tothe challenge.

When former jewellery wholesalerJonathan Cohen left his nativeGermany to set up home in Londonwith his new family he noticed alack of good bread on the capital’shigh street – so he decided to dosomething about it with a helpinghand from IBS.

Using your loafpays dividends

9

St Martin-in-the-Fields, located right at theheart of London in the northeast corner oftheatreland, is very much part of the localcommunity. It's a busy city centre parishchurch with regular services in English,Cantonese and Mandarin as well as specialone-off services (for example, marking theanniversary of the 7/7 bombings). TheConnection at St Martin's provides a placeof safety and opportunity for people whoare homeless or at risk of homelessness.The church is also a music venue with over350 concerts every year. The Cafe in theCrypt is a vibrant, unique hospitality andentertainment outlet, offering an out-of-the-ordinary experience in the depths ofunderground Victorian burial vaults. It’s trulyan unforgettable environment.

The church and the hospital facility worktogether to create a special atmosphere andenvironment for our 700,000 visitors whocome to the church or eat at our award-winning Cafe in the Crypt or listen to aconcert from an extensive classicalprogramme. Whatever the activity, all theproceeds are re-invested to ensure thechurch makes a real difference to the waypeople live their lives.

I may be bias, having had the privilege ofworking here for a dozen years, but there’sgenuinely nothing like St Martin-in-the-Fields, anywhere. What’s more, it’s about toget better as we’re in the midst of a £36mrenewal project that will add a brand newchapter to our fascinating history.

We’re re-launching the Cafe in the Crypt thisAutumn. Normally we’re open 364 days ofthe year (with the exception of ChristmasDay) so you can imagine it’s been strangeworking from temporary accommodationwhile we’ve been closed during the renewalproject. Highlights include a clean andclassic design for new public spaces. Theentrance foyer (which opens next year)includes a striking glass pavilion set into thechurch path. This stunning addition housesa spiral winding staircase taking you into theheart of St Martin’s.

From my perspective, I’m naturallydelighted the much-loved and ever popularaward-winning Cafe in the Crypt hasincreased its capacity from 160 to 225guests. We’ve created the extra space bymoving the shop and the box office to thenew foyer and the kitchens to newunderground spaces beneath the courtyard.

We're fortunate to have many regularcustomers, whether for breakfast, lunch,afternoon tea or dinner by candlelight, andwe're pleased that in addition to physicalchanges they'll see we will also belaunching new menus that will continue tofill them up without emptying their pockets.

We’re catering for all needs from a quickstop off for a snack or a longer lingering stay

for guests wanting to explore the gallery orbook or attend a classical concert or jazznight.

St Martin’s is a centre for musicalexcellence. An internationally respectedmusical programme attracts performers andaudiences from across the globe to our 800capacity venue.

Naturally, a restoration of this significanceneeds the best of everything, including theright epos technology to run, manage andcontrol our catering and retail operations.By managing the business operations wellwe will maximise the funds available tofurther the work of the church.

Which is why we’re delighted to open ourdoors with a new epos system provided byIBS. When we were looking round for anepos system we had to find one to not onlycater for our mix of retail and hospitality butalso have the flexibility and versatilitynecessary to meet our requirements on anon-going basis. IBS ticked all the rightboxes from the start and have shown theyare always willing to listen and work with usrather than provide us with a restrictive off-the-shelf solution. After all, this not anordinary hospitality venue! Come andexperience for yourself. You’ll be impressed.

St Martin-in-the-Fieldsenjoys magnificent£36m rebirthNelson’s Column may dominatethe skyline but centuries beforethe naval hero rose toprominence the hub of thisparticular part of Londonrevolved around a church thatcan trace its origins back to1222. And it’s still very much anessential element of thecommunity, according to StMartin-in-the-Fields foodservices manager, Luis Martins,especially as this famousarchitectural masterpiece isbenefiting from a £36m renewalproject.

St Martin-in-the-Fields has been serving thepeople of London and beyond for centuries.The first official record of the existence of achurch on the site dates back to the Normanswhen William, Abbot of Westminster, andEustace, Bishop of London, argued about whohad authority over the building in 1222. TheAbbott won and his monks started a traditionfor worship that has continued ever since. StMartin’s is also London's first free lendinglibrary and the site of the first religiousbroadcast. The £36m renewal project will seethe church restored to its original 1761specification to maximise the impact of naturallight and improve access and facilities forvisitors and homeless people. The exterior willalso be thoroughly cleaned and restored.

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An on-line loyalty module suitable for everyoccasion has been added to the versatileStockLink portfolio to give hospitalitybusinesses a powerful, cost-effective newmarketing tool.

Specifically designed to maximise flexibilityand versatility, the on-line loyalty modulegives users total freedom to initiate, target,plan, manage and evaluate the success ofloyalty activity. As a highly targetedmarketing discipline it will produceadditional revenue and increased profits at afraction of the cost of advertising and othertraditional marketing activities.

Simplicity is the key to our loyalty on-linemodule, which runs on the www interactingwith a client’s own internet presence and is

A flexiblefriendsuitablefor everyoccasionStockLink’s versatility asan essential POS andenterprise managementtool has been reinforcedwith the release of a newon-line loyalty module,as IBS commercialdirectorDee Powellexplains.

powered by a back office database residingon either IBS servers or the customer’s own.

The on-line loyalty scheme runs on PC POSand Uniwell terminals and offers a highdegree of flexibility and control.

As I’ve already pointed out, on-line loyalty isdesigned to be totally flexible and can used as

• A customer loyalty card where usersaccumulate points in direct relation tothe amount they spend, in much thesame way as the major supermarkets runschemes. Points can be redeemed asvouchers or discounts at the point ofsale. This scheme rewards andrecognises regular customers andencourages them to spend with you asopposed to taking their customelsewhere.

• A customer discount card where the usercan take advantage of any number ofhighly-focused, pre-programmed schemesto promote and increase sales within ahospitality business. These can range froma free bottle of house wine for dinerscelebrating special occasions, 10%discount off desserts or starters, 25% offfood only or early bird discounts forfamilies eating before a certain time. Thechoice of promotions and loyalty initiativesis infinite. Each activity is allocated ascheme title and code in the on-line loyaltymodule and can be changed or updatedby the click of a button.

• A cashless card scheme for localbusinesses who can pre-credit accounts

similar to mobile phone pay-as-you-gotop-ups. These cards can be coupledwith a cash incentive (buy £50 and get£55 worth of credit).

Whichever scheme you run, you canregularly communicate with customers bye-mail sent via the on-line module. This canbe done individually (an invitation tocelebrate a birthday or a weddinganniversary at your outlet) or in batches (topromote early bird meals for customers withyoung families).

So how does it work?

First you need to sign up customers andadd their names and details (includingbirthdays, anniversaries and any othercriteria you want to log) to a database. Thiscan be done two ways: either by invitingcustomers to fill out application forms andthen processing internally at head office orasking them to register themselves on-line.

Customers are supplied with pre-programmed branded plastic loyalty cardscomplete with a random six digit number astheir exclusive ID for logging on. Once thishas been done, you’re ready to boost salesand profits. It really is that straightforward.

Of course, we’ll project manage the set upprocess like we do with all the StockLinkmodules. Prior to the launch of a scheme,our in-house development team will workclosely with a customer’s website team tocreate, publish and go live with a specificsection designed to sign-up customers tothe loyalty membership scheme.

Metropolitan Atlanta has a population ofover 5 million, having grown by more than 1million in the last decade. That’s a lot ofpeople and, like most Americans, they eat alot of food not cooked at home.

A recent food service survey reported that USconsumers each spent seven times moreeating out than the Brits, French and Germans.In Japan, where eating out is generally moreexpensive, they spent only one third as muchas their American counterparts. Revealingly,the report noted the US was the only countryto spend more in Quick Service Restaurants(QSR) than dining out.

This explains the popularity of the drive-thruto the American way of life. The firstrestaurant windows appeared in the 1940’s,followed by drive-thru banks, pharmaciesand liquor stores. In Las Vegas you caneven get married without leaving your car.(I wonder if they also do divorces?)

Speed of service is clearly a priority, soQSRs have systems to measure the time totake, process and deliver each customerorder.

There are conflicting estimates as to thenumber of QSR units but it’s a lot.The three largest burger chains –McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s– alone account for over 27,000 outlets.

I’m telling you this by way of introduction toERC – the latest company to become aStockLink reseller.

ERC’s corporate office is in Kennesaw,about 30 miles north of Atlanta. Theystarted out in 1980 as a distributor ofelectronic parts to the cash registerindustry, with a staff of 5. They still carryover 5,000 parts in inventory, but ERCis now one of the largest distributorsof Hospitality POS and Wireless

Communication products in NorthAmerica.

ERC also sell systems for bars and tableservice, but they are best known for theirQSR solutions. With 150 employees, andbranch offices in Ohio, Kentucky and NorthCarolina, ERC have installed more than8,000 sites with POS and drive-thruperformance timers.

Their interest in StockLink coincided withthe addition of Uniwell to their product lineand the introduction of the Uniwell DX915 –Uniwell’s first POS product with drive-thrufunctionality.

The team in Columbus, one of two ERCsales and support offices in Ohio, werequick to see the benefits of StockLink, andhave already booked a number of orders.

Simon has been to Columbus a couple oftimes to train their support people and helpwith the first installations and is lookingforward to working with them on otheropportunities they’ve identified. With ERC’sprofessionalism and experience of thesector, I’m sure he won’t have long to wait.

I’ll tell you more about ERC and theirStockLink customers later but thetemperature here is around 33 Celsius soI’m putting the roof down and heading tothe nearest drive-thru for ice cream.


Name: Richard CowellAge: 39Job title: Support engineerStatus: Married, two step-childrenInterests: Motorsports, technology,

musicAmbition: Base jump off the Grand

Canyon or abseil from ahelicopter

Fav song: “Nothing Else Matters” –Metallica

Fav drink: Red WineFav food: Authentic IndianFav film: Blazing SaddlesFav country: USA

11

John Naismith is a POS


worked in Scotland,

England and Canada.





the fifth of his letters from America.

Q1: What is your day-to-day role at IBS?A1: To provide support and training for our

wide range of customers. One of thegreat things about IBS is the range ofcustomers in the client portfolio fromlarge multi-nationals to very successfulindependents. They’re all different soevery day is also different.

Q2: How long have you been with IBS?A2: Just over ten months. I’m enjoying

every minute.

Q3: What is your approach to the job?A3: Always learn and progress and

increase your knowledge andexperience. I naturally seem to enjoyhelping others and strive hard to givecustomer what they want, expect andmore importantly, need. It’s verysatisfying when a customer says thankyou when an enquiry is satisfactorilyconcluded.

Q4: What is your previous industryexperience?

A4: I worked with another epos companyinstalling and training Uniwell and pc-based systems.

Q5: What makes IBS special?A5: What can I say? A class leading team

with a class leading product range.Seriously, we set ourselves very highstandards across the board and workhard to maintain and improve them.There’s also a great team spirit andwork ethic. I particularly like bondsessions when a curry is involved.

Q6: What is your most memorablelife/work experience?

A6: Getting married and seeing mydaughter graduate. If either hadinvolved abseiling from a helicopterthey would have been perfect days!

IBS Profile...RRiicchhaarrdd CCoowweellll




johnlewis


Intelligent Business Systems, St James Rd,Brackley, Northants, NN13 7XY

Tel 01280 709 400 Fax 01280 704 315

FAT CATcafé bar



Purrfect solution for Fat Cat Training optimises POS technology benefits Partnership key to on-going Caterleisure roll out Diary of a modern installation at the Tate

Purrfect solution for Fat Cat Training optimises POS technology benefits Partnership key to on-going Caterleisure roll out Diary of a modern installation at the Tate

Welcome to Impact 4 A warm welcome to the Winter/Spring edition of Impact. Our colourful bi-annual magazineaims to show you the impact Intelligent Business Systems makes in the fast-movingdynamic world of POS. The focus of this edition is very much on people, starting with IBSproject manager Mark Bagnall’s diary of an installation at the Tate Modern. There arecontributions from clients like Fat Cat’s financial director Simon Patterson and Caterleisure’sIT systems manager Dianne Christie, who write about the influence of IBS on theirbusinesses. One common denominator shared by Simon and Dianne is the role trainingplays to optimise the effectiveness of POS technology. This is further highlighted with aspecial training feature from our own Neil Quinn, who reveals the options open to ourcustomers. Enjoy Impact 4. We trust it gives you plenty of food for thought and keeps usat the forefront of your mind when it comes to your next POS or enterprise managementinvestment. Give us a call to see what impact we can make to your business.

Dee Powell, editor, Impact Front cover image: Caterleisure’s IT and systems manager Dianne Christie. Impact is published on behalf of Intelligent BusinessSystems (St James Road, Brackley, Northants, NN13 7XY, 01280 709 400) by Creativespace2 (www.creativespace2.com). If youhave any comments or feedback, contact me on 01280 709 400 or e-mail mail to: [email protected]. We are alwaysdelighted to hear from you.

News from IBS

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benugo, the up-market catering inspiration of brothers Ben and Hugo Warnerspecialising in high-quality high street outlets and internal hospitality offerings forlarge city of London institutions, has unveiled its latest work of art from IBS. Thebrothers, recently ranked in the UK’s top ten caterers based on the quality of theirfood, have taken over the £3m per year catering contract at the newly refurbishedV&A, refitting the museum catering facility. IBS has installed a new broadband-basedPOS system featuring StockLink V5 and PC Pos. The installation, which gives thebenugo management team near real-time polling, was commissioned after a thoroughinvestigation of the marketplace. A similar system has also been installed at theMuseum of Childhood. Both were carried out overnight to ensure there was nointerruption to trading.

See our benugo feature in Impact 5: out later this year

On-line ordering is now available from IBSas part of its comprehensive POStechnology enterprise management systemsand is already being used by TomAllchurch’s Fresh Italy fast-food concept.The London-based quality food brand(featured in Impact 1) has three outlets atthe heart of the capital and is within easy reach of thousands of businesses. The on-line option is highly convenient forcustomers and enhances the range ofservices offered by Fresh Italy. IBSmanaging director Gareth Powell saysaccuracy is of the essence. ‘With this newmodule it takes less than five seconds forthe order to be integrated into the POSsystem and to print the labels for the foodand drink dispense cartons in the kitchen.The web service module includes datatransfer and integration into the POSsystem and StockLink back office.’

IBS unveils works ofart for benugo

Fresh Italygoes on-line

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IBS has upgraded the POS systems atLondon’s landmark Tate Modern internationalmodern art gallery, installing 14 PC POStouchscreen terminals together with StockLinkenterprise management software at thesite’s six restaurants, cafes and kiosks. Theinstallation took place overnight at theformer power station which is now one ofthe UK’s most popular tourist attractionswith an annual four million visitors.

Tate Modern POSupgrade

IBS rolls out more Caterleisure sites

New additions to StockLinkincreases versatility andflexibilityStockLink continues to forge ahead as thesmartest enterprise management systemfor the hospitality sector with regularinnovative updates added to the modularsoftware product. Four new updates includea more detailed journal server module, moreaccurate predictive ordering, a vendingstock result and on-line ordering.

Journal server adds moredetail to business intelligence The journal server module takes selected tilljournals and brings them back into thedatabase. Here they are split into thevarious elements of each transaction andappropriate tables for enhanced high-levelreporting and business intelligence. The employment of the journal servermodule gives users numerous reportoptions, ranging from date, time, clerk, item,site and transactions per minute. Thebeauty of StockLink journal server reportingis the customer dictates what businessintelligence they need to run their enterpriseeffectively.

Predictive ordering aidspurchase planningThe new StockLink predictive order moduleaids purchase planning. When creating apurchase order simply choose the relevantsupplier, use the ‘Restock’ button, input therequired delivery date and the systemautomatically suggests the order quantitiesrequired for that date. The suggested orderis calculated by usage based uponhistorical sales information. Cleverly, thesuggested order quantities can take intoaccount special functions and bank holidays.

Vending stock result givesgreater control A vending stock result has been added tothe ever-increasing range of StockLinkmodular options as a control mechanism formachines at hospitality venues. Previously itwas not possible to run stock control andrevenue checks on vending machines. This new result analyses what’s used,what’s left, deliveries and revenues. Thebenefits are huge reductions in wastage andtheft. The vending stock result module isalready being deployed by Namco.

On-line ordering now availableStockLink now has an option for an on-lineordering system for clients' customers.They can log-on from home or the office,call up published electronic menus anddaily specials and then place their ordersand pay over the internet prior to collectionat the designated time and outlet. Full cash-up and reporting facilities for on-line ordersare also included in the new module.

Bowled over at NamcoNamco has added four new bowling centresto its growing national portfolio with sites inBraintree, Ipswich, Norwich and Romford. IBSinstalled pre-configured epos systems withoutstopping the action. Installations started at8am and finished at 11am. IBS also providedon-the-spot staff training as part of thecontract. In addition, vending machinesoftware was commissioned for StockLink toadd to the control Namco has over allelements of its business.

One of Europe’s biggest entertainment venues,the Doncaster Dome, has asked IBS toupgrade its POS system. IBS has installedStockLink Professional software, ten PC POSterminals, handheld order terminals andhandheld stock taking devices. The Dome hasmultiple outlets which include bars, fast foodoutlets, a restaurant, an ice rink and a fitnessvillage. The system will be used to createpurchase orders, book in deliveries andmanage stock returns and stock counting. IBSsupervised the installation of a structured Cat5enetwork with added wireless access points forhandheld orders and wireless POS links andalso provided pre-installation training sessionsand POS configuration and refresher tuition.

Fat Cat’s purrfectPOS upgradeMulti award-winning independent pub group,Fat Cat Café Bars, has carried out a purrfectupgrade of its POS system in conjunction withIBS. All the sites in the chain, which are basedin London, the midlands and the north west,have been fitted with new PCs, StockLinkProfessional and Uniwell DX890 touchscreenterminals. ‘As well as installing a new systemto give us real-time reporting, the IBS teamhas carried out extensive training with ourmanagers to enable them to handle basictroubleshooting themselves,’ said Fat Catfinancial director, Simon Patterson.

See Mark Bagnall’s diary of aninstallation on pages 4 and 5

Simon Patterson writes about the latestFat Cat installation on pages 6 and 7

Next issue: Find out about the Revolution!

Norwich Airport, Manchester Airport RailStation and leisure centres at Macclesfieldand Wilmslow are the latest Caterleisureoutlets to receive an IBS broadband-basedPC Pos and StockLink Professionalcombination, writes IBS project managerMark Bagnall. All the installations tookplace after-hours to minimise the effects ontrading. The specialist hospitality andcatering operator is currently converting thevast majority of its outlets from cash registerto touchscreen POS technology. In addition,IBS is also providing a number of trainingsessions including time and attendancetuition so clerks can sign into the system aspart of the streamlining of the company’sadministration processes. The IBS POSsystem will also be used to generate centralpayroll information.

Caterleisure’s Dianne Christie writes about working with IBS. See pages 8 and 9

Doncaster Dome’ssparkling addition

StockLink...in action

Monday 10.00The project team assembles in one of themeeting rooms at the IBS head office to runthrough our final checklist for theinstallation. Three project managers, JustinAtkinson, Neil Quinn and myself, supportedby Micheal Ball, our development managerand two engineers, Levi Bodra and MichaelO’Sullivan, are present. The mood is relaxedeven though this is a major installation at anextremely large site where we are working toa strict timetable. We need to be installedand working before Tate Modern opens itsdoors to the public on Tuesday. Althoughwe do this all the time, we’re all lookingforward to the challenge. Neil mentions thisis how footballers must feel before a biggame.

12.00We’re off and leave in convoy for the hour-long journey into the capital. We operate allover the country so it’s good to have a‘home’ fixture. We’re taking two vans withus and everything that is needed for theinstallation, including fourteen PC POStouchscreen terminals. They’ve all beenpre-configured and programmed inadvance. The real hard work on a projectlike this, the all-important pre-installpreparation, is done behind the scenes with

the POS programming, menu-creationand reports taking place off-site.

Although it’s going to be a longnight we have already tested

everything in advance andsigned it all off from ourend. This is the opportunity

to put all the pieces of thejigsaw together in-situ.

13.00We arrive at the site and park up. I’ve been toTate on numerous occasions, both on businessand for pleasure. Prior to the installation we hadthe initial briefing from Tate’s cateringoperations manager Andrew Gordon and histeam. Andrew had a detailed look at alternativeoptions in the marketplace so it is a great senseof achievement to have retained the business.Following the commission we carried out adetailed survey of the site that’s spread overhalf a dozen spectacular levels and includes sixrestaurants, cafes and kiosks for the public andthe staff cafe. A further few meetings took placeto ensure all the pieces of the jigsaw fittedperfectly when it came to the day of installation.

14.30Everyone helps out with the unloading. IBSis all about teamwork and helping oneanother. Although we cannot startdecommissioning the existing equipmentuntil Tate has closed to the public and thestaff have cashed up, we can still make surewe’re ready to start at 7pm on the dot.

17.00A pre-programmed touchscreen terminal isdelivered to each restaurant so the POSprogram can be double checked prior to theswap out. Everything else is in place so it’s timefor a break and cup of tea in one of therestaurants. Stunning views over London. Wecan sit back and enjoy the genuine hotbed ofcreativity that is Tate Modern. The ideas theycome up with are breathtaking. The slides inthe Turbine Hall are sheer genius. It’s almost asmuch fun watching as it is doing the sliding.Somebody suggests using the slides to takethe decommissioned kit to the ground floor.

A life in theday of aninstallation at the Tate ModernTate Modern is the nationalgallery of international modernart, one of four in the family ofTate Galleries. Opened in 2000and housed in a former powerstation in the heart of London,Tate Modern attracts an annualfour million visitors (double theoriginal anticipated figure)through its doors to celebratean innovative exhibitionprogramme and the stunningarchitectural triumph of theactual building. IBS has beeninvolved with Tate from dayone and recently upgraded thePOS technology for six busyrestaurants, cafes and kiosksthat cater for the thousandswho flock to this landmarkLondon site everyday. Here IBSproject manager Mark Bagnall(below) gives his account of 24 hours in the life of a POSinstallation at Tate.

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18.00The public are leaving. The staff in therestaurants are cashing up. We’re ready togo. We’ve got two jobs today. First, we’reswitching from the old NT server andmigrating the database for Tate Modern,and a similar one for the nearby Tate Britain,to a new SQL server where StockLinkprovides the enterprise managementsystem for all sites. Second, we’redecommissioning the old equipment andreplacing with new. The initiative for theproject came from Tate realising it was timeto update the system and the technology.Dos and Windows 98 are outmodedcompared to the technological explosionhas taken place since then. With the newsystem ready to be installed they will beable to satisfy all Tate Modern’s needs forthe next five years as well as Tate Britainacross the Thames, The FitzwilliamMuseum, Tate Cambridge and SomersetHouse.

19.00We spend two weeks with a project teamdoing all the preparation. If we don’t get thepreparation right we’ll have a problem. LikeHouston on those dramatic space missionsfrom my youth. Our real issues now areabout timing. We’ve pre-planned how we’regoing to carry out the installation. Each ofthe project managers will do tworestaurants with the engineers providingsupport as necessary. First we need todispose of the old kit. No sliding allowed!Each terminal is boxed up and packed ontothe vans. No room for sloppiness,whatsoever.

21.00Out with the old and in with the new. We’reready to start installing. One or two redfaces amongst the crew. It’s a fair sized site.Not many hospitality outlets have a frontover 650 ft long. Not that we’re withouthelp. Even without the use of the slides,Tate has nine lifts and six escalators.

22.00We have a break and a quick de-brief tomake sure everything is running smoothlyand to plan. Is there any need to changehow we’re operating? What’s our scheduledfinish time? We’re booked into a nearbyhotel as we’re training and ‘handholding’first thing.

23.30Testing one, two, three. Rather thaninstalling all the equipment at once, we’resigning off individual restaurants as wecomplete them. And no matter what wemight say, it is always a relief wheneverything works as planned. The terminalslook really great in the colourful restaurants.

Tuesday 01.00Progress is going well; the project team isgelling and we're right on schedule. Thisplace is eerie at this time of night. I try toimagine the noise when it was a powerstation feeding millions with electricity.Technology is in a constant state of change.Providing POS technology is a classicexample. What we can do now in terms ofbusiness intelligence and real-time data isunbelievable from even five years ago.

03.00High fives all round. We’re installed, testedand ready for tomorrow morning’s handoverto Andrew Gordon and his team. Just asimportant, you’d never know we’ve beenhere. Neatness and attention to detail is anessential element to any installation wecarry out, no matter who the client is.

04.00Back in the hotel. A long but successful day.One of the reasons working for IBS is suchfun is that no two days are ever the same!

09.00Although we know the technology insideout, we have to introduce managers andcatering staff to the new set up. Ourobjective is to give them total control overtheir equipment and empower them totrouble-shoot any minor hiccups. Tatecaterers and restauranteurs do, of course,have six-day support from our customerservice team as part of the contract. Overthe next day or two we’ll wind down the‘handholding’ as they get used to the newtechnology and experience the benefits. A few days after the installation and the‘handholding’ we will do a follow-up call tocheck with each restaurant levelmanagement team that the system isworking as required, making any minoralterations as we go.

1) Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall before the slides 2) and after 3) housed in one of London’s mostdistinctive landmarks 4) numerous choices – Tate has six restaurants 5) action stations – ready to go to Tate 6) pre-planning and advanced POS programming are key to any installation 7) Tate’s colourful restaurants complement thevenue’s reputation for innovation.

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Fat Cat Café Bars is an independent pubgroup dedicated to providing qualityfood, drink and service to discerningcustomers in an unforgettableenvironment and a relaxing atmosphere.That simple statement epitomises whatwe’re all about.

Our history goes back to the launch ofour first site in Bangor in north Wales atthe start of the nineties when as a nationwe were embracing European-style cafébars in preference to traditional ‘spitand sawdust’ community boozers withtheir vaults and lounges. Since thenwe’ve opened further sites in London,the midlands and the North West. FromBow to Bangor and from Llandundo toLeicester and Leeds, we’re recognisedas a market leader with our own highlydistinctive brand.

During this time we have constantly had toinnovate across all aspects of our businessin order to satisfy the increasinglysophisticated demands of our customers.We are competing with unremittingly stiffcompetition from like-minded independentsand the sheer spending power andeconomies of scale of the big brewers andpub chains out to capture their share of thelucrative café bar market.

An indication of our success as a brand arethe many awards and nominations thathave flowed from day one, given to us inrecognition of our contribution to thedesign and aesthetic appeal of Fat Catvenues and sheer value for money that iskey to our proposition. In our world, qualitycan and does snuggle up happily withgenuine value.

Our goal as a business is to always becompetitive, hence the need to stay onestep ahead. As we’re obviously involved inthe service industry, we can achieve thisthrough our front of house operations,giving our customers the best possibleexperience every time they walk into one ofour establishments. This, however, mustbe complemented by ensuring we remainlean, effective and cost-efficient as anorganisation.

In essence, that means we don’t wastetime and money doing the same jobs two

or three times. Nor do we want to becometop heavy at head office when our staffinginvestment and commitment should beconcentrating on service levels at our units.

Most importantly, it means we have to beable to react quickly and effectively tobusiness intelligence. To be able to do thiswe need to have hard and fast facts andfigures. As the financial director, I want tosee the evidence on a screen or on aprinted business sheet. Anecdotalfeedback is welcome as a taster but it isonly one person’s snapshot and can nevertake into account the whole picture.

Fortunately there is the technology outthere in the market place from the likes ofIntelligent Business Systems, our preferredPOS supplier. They help give us a worldview of the business as a whole. This infofeeds every department within Fat Cat,

from operations and human resources tomarketing and accounts.

In keeping with our drive to stay at the topof our game, we’ve recently upgraded ourPOS system both at head office and at theunits. IBS rolled out the technology to atight 12-week deadline, installing newtouchscreen POS terminals, PCs andStockLink cash and stock managementsoftware through broadband connectionsfor finger-clicking speed.

The results are impressive. Data is sent tohead office every hour rather than largeunwieldy overnight data transfers, so wehave real-time reporting to criteria we setto help us run our business on a day-to-day basis.

We’ve worked with Gareth Powell, MarkBagnall and the IBS team for several years

Simon Patterson set up Fat Cat with Matthew Saunders, opening the first inNorth Wales at the start of the nineties. While it was being built he worked onmarket stalls in London. As finance director he oversees invoices, P7L,accounts, balance sheets and payroll as well as strategic financial planningand brewery purchase supplier agreements. A self-confessed avid fan ofBrighton & Hove Albion and golf-addict, Simon (below) writes about IBS’spart in the Fat Cat success story.

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and they, like us, look to constantly build upon their reputation as a marketleader.

As part of the enterprise packageproposed to us, they placed the emphasison a heavy commitment to training so ourmanagers would get the most out of theupgraded technology.

These group training sessions were highlyinformative, starting off looking at daysessions before exploring weekly businesssheets and stock management. What I likedwas the fact they would look at all thedifferent reasons as to why we were doingthings. Giving our managers a panoramicperspective shows how it benefits theircustomers, the operational side of theirunits and us at head office. The trainingsessions are an effective way ofcommunicating why it is important to know

the POS technology better than we maypreviously have felt appropriate.

One great session highlighted whyastute IT companies can really add value.IBS training includes problem-solving andtrouble-shooting, placing the emphasis onempowering the manager and unit team tolook after the basics themselves. Thismeans relatively simple functions likeresetting printers can be done at unit levelso things don’t come to a stop when thereis a minor problem. Crossing the t’s anddotting the i’s is typical of the IBS approachand we appreciate their professionalism.

It’s a professionalism that we all share thathelps us leap into the New Year with greatconfidence. Why not pop in and enjoy the FatCat experience for yourself. Enjoy great foodand drink and an incredible atmosphere. ThePOS technology is pretty good too.

PurrfectIt’s got to be

Caterleisure IT and systems manager Dianne Christie isresponsible for the POS technology that enables the Bradford-based hospitality specialist to run a wide variety of brandconcepts across the UK. Here she writes for Impact to explainthe role IBS plays in giving Caterleisure more effective controlover its national estate.

Caterleisure IT and systems manager Dianne Christie isresponsible for the POS technology that enables the Bradford-based hospitality specialist to run a wide variety of brandconcepts across the UK. Here she writes for Impact to explainthe role IBS plays in giving Caterleisure more effective controlover its national estate.

Caterleisure on the march withPOS technology

Mark Bagnall and Barry Miller in customersupport. Both are readily accessible and havea great depth of knowledge.

Mark and Barry have been heavily involvedin the recent new sites we’ve upgraded,including Norwich Airport, whereCaterleisure has a presence airside andlandside with bars, cafes and retail/duty freeunits, Manchester Airport railway stationand Newark railway station.

The specification is based around PC POSterminals with converted sites havingbroadband and FTP polling and StockLinkProfessional software. One of theimmediate areas of impact we’ve looked toachieve is the reduction in labour timecompleting business sheets at site level.

As well as the specification andimplementation of our new epostechnology, IBS provides consultancysupport. This is normally tapped into afterI’ve discussed our requirements internallywith Peter Butterworth, our financial directorand my immediate line manager, and ourmanaging director, Christine Thorpe. Oncewe’ve identified our requirements, we’llmake decisions together and liaise withMark about the implementation and thevarious issues involved.

IBS provided bespoke changes to moduleswithin StockLink, and gave me one-to-onetuition to enhance my programming skills.This has given me the confidence andautonomy to carry out menu programming,price amends and first-line support. Markand myself provide training support thatextends to the entire company and revolvesaround group and one-to-one training days.

Their on-going support makes my job a loteasier with the domino effect that ourcatering staff can focus on customersatisfaction at unit level and not worry aboutthe IT elements of our business.

With IBS by our side, it’s a great platform tocontinue our journey in the hospitality market.

9

At Caterleisure we run a truly diverseselection of multi-branded catering andretail outlets at an equally varied range oflocations in the UK. You can find us atnumerous airports and train terminals, atleisure centres, theatres and supermarkets.Our brands include names like Orchids,Café Oasis, Café Express, Café Continental,The Yard of Ale, Travelines and Skylines.

Although our business is clearly built upondifferent branded offerings dependent uponthe location, they are united by several keycommon denominators.

First, we are committed to ensuring wemeet, if not exceed, our customersexpectations.

Second, we’ll normally trade where we havea captive audience that is already visitingthe location. For instance, travellers at anairport or train station or leisure centrevisitors relaxing before or after exercise.

Third, we want to always follow the bestbusiness practices to ensure we alwaysgive quality, value for money and totalcustomer satisfaction. This includes havingthe best IT systems in place so we can staycompetitive at all times and can tender fornew business from a position of genuinestrength.

One of my key roles within Caterleisure as ITsystems manager is to make sure weembrace the latest up-to-date technology.To this end, I’m responsible for projectmanaging and planning the on-going movefrom cash registers to a fully computerisedepos system. At the time of writing we haveprobably completed the conversion of athird of the estate and our intention is tohave finished the process by the end of the year.

This upgrading of our systems is a naturalprogression for us as the benefits to ourbusiness are already proving to beenormous. Introducing epos technologygreatly enhances our business control and

the availability of real time intelligence. We’llbe able to look at sales data from across theestate whenever we want at a touch of abutton. We’ll be able to control pricing andmenu changes centrally whereas before wehad to amend everything at unit level. Thetime savings are enormous and greatlyappreciated. Longer term we’ll be able torun full managerial accounts and the payrollthrough the epos system.

Like anything new, it’s a demanding task.We have to make sure the installs don’tinterrupt trading while also implementing atraining programme to ensure the hundredsof people who work for us are fully up tospeed on the new technology and systems.And this training has to be geared towardsstaff who may be very good at catering butare not necessarily too IT literate.

Taking all this into account, it is essential topick the right technology partner to ensurewe meet all our objectives, one who cansatisfy our hardware, software, installationand after-sales requirements.

I think we’ve achieved this with IBS, whohave a great track record in the POShospitality market and a settled seniormanagement team. I’ve worked with theIBS team for eight years and we have allbenefited from the longevity of therelationship as they understand ourbusiness processes.

In terms of looking after our day-to-day needs,I work closely with senior project manager

“We have all benefitedfrom the longevity of the relationship as IBS understands ourbusiness processes.”Dianne Christie

10

TRAININGWHO NEEDS IT? We all do!We all know what the customer wantsfrom their hospitality or leisure experience.A great time. The food needs to be spoton. The drinks just right, chilled, shaken,stirred or mixed to perfection. Customerinteraction has to be faultless. From thePOS perspective the customer’s onlyconcern is seamless transactions. Fast,correct ordering and speedy, accuratebilling is an integral part of the overallcustomer experience.

Our training at IBS ensures our clients’ staffnot only deliver the speed and accuracy thepublic demands but can also provide awhole host of additional benefits tooptimise what is normally a substantial POSinvestment. This investment includes thecapital outlay and also the time, effort andenergy spent getting to know the system.

We approach training with the vision andforesight that we tackle every otherelement of our business. We always lookto answer one simple question. How canwe look after and meet the needs of ourclients. The answer is looking at eachclient on an individual basis and cateringfor their specific requirements. This canmean training taking place at our well-equipped head office or going on-site toindividual outlets. Naturally, there is thehalf-way house option where we runroadshows or seminars for larger groups.This third route eliminates staff downtimeand minimises the cost element.

Wherever and however we host the training,we offer comprehensive tuition across theboard. This ranges from frontline staff andunit managers and assistants to area andregional operational managers, head officeexecutives, IT, and of course, the board ofdirectors. Training can be carried out withlarge groups, small parties or on an individualface-to-face or distance basis.

Subject matters range from basic training forthe outright novice - how to use a mouse or akeyboard – to sophisticated programming,remote price and menu amendments andreport creation to all points inbetween. One ofour priorities with training, irrespective of thesubject matter, is to then make sure there isminimal disruption to the clients’ business.Our ideal scenario is to teach clients basictrouble shooting to minimise downtime. Howmuch better is it to have staff who can reset a terminal rather than contacting our support desk?

Recent client training includes the followingshopping list:-

how to use a POS terminal resetting terminals and printersgeneral POS maintenance terminal trouble shootingnetwork trouble shootingan introduction to StockLink coveringreports, cashing up and balancing thebusiness sheet stock control and stock taking

The more sophisticated training will show ITprofessionals and senior managers how tocreate purchase orders and deliveries, addwastage to the system, run the stock reportand understand and react to the reportsbeing created.

For example, how is the variance created?What are the reasons for low gross profitmargins? Is it the mix, keying errors or thewrong input of delivery notes? Our trainingwill show the user how to run things throughterminals and databases and the varioussteps to fixing them. Whenever I’m training Ialways use previous examples to make surethe point is made clearly and concisely.

Advanced StockLink training covers how touse StockLink to designing touchscreenlayouts and programming terminals tosetting up polling, LAN & WAN networks,and head office SQL server configuration.

Experience shows our most popular form oftraining is introducing staff to StockLink at newsites. Like all training and informationdissemination, we don’t rush things oroverload the brain capacity of our trainees. Welet them get used to it for a couple of weeks.

Whatever your training needs, it’s alwaysbest to cover them at the start of anydiscussions for a new system or an upgrade.We’ll always include it in our proposals as amatter of course but it helps if it is on youragenda right from the start too.

Welcome. I’m using this letter to salute thepioneering spirit of America, which really isthe land of opportunity. The proof is in theaddition of our latest client in the USA.

Gwenyth Bassetti opened a soup andsandwich shop in Seattle’s Grand CentralBuilding way back in 1972 serving soup andsandwiches using her own freshly bakedbread. Gwenyth left the business after fouryears to live on a farm and raise herchildren, returning to Portland when theyhad grown up to launch the Grand CentralBakery in Oregon in 1993.

Bassetti rechristened the restaurant “GrandCentral Bakery” and sparked an artisanbread revolution throughout the Northwestwith hand-formed Como loaves. Asdemand for her hearth-baked breadscontinued to rise, her son, Ben Davis,opened Grand Central’s first Portlandbakery in the Hawthorne neighbourhood in 1993.

Led by Ben, his sister, Piper and two closefriends Bob Kerr and Claire Randall, GrandCentral now includes a wholesale breadline, six neighborhood cafes and a cateringservice. They employ 145 people andGrand Central’s eclectic bakery cafes areplaced where customers can enjoy adiverse selection of hand-made pastries,scratch-made soups and salads, anddelicious, made-to-order sandwiches. Withplans to open more retail locations in thecoming years, Grand Central will continueto capture the hearts — and appetites — ofPortland’s food lovers. And prove what youcan do if you want to make things happenStateside.

None of the bakery’s owners have businessdegrees or formal culinary training. Instead,the team has made its decisions based onintuition, common sense and a shareddedication to delicious foods made fromhonest ingredients. Which is why their

investment in StockLink makes such goodsense and is proving to be a winner when itcomes to managing and controlling theirbusiness. It is a simple but effectivepackage to use and understand and it givesthem the information they need to manageand develop their business.

When we were recommending the systemto them we compared it to Artisan baking.Bakers have a saying here, the more youlearn about bread baking, the more yourealize how much more there is to learn. Sowhile the basic ingredients of bread rarelyvary - wheat, flour, water and salt - thevariety of flavors and textures that can beproduced by altering techniques, timingand the quality of the flour itself is endless.Likewise, StockLink has the flexibility toaccommodate all the wishes of the GrandCentral Bakery team now and in the future.No matter how big the family wants to taketheir vision.


IBS Profile…

Name: Simon WellsAge: 33Job title: Project ManagerStatus: MarriedChildren: 4Interests: I’m a self-confessed gadget

freak. If it uses power ofsome kind and has buttonsthen I’m hooked. And I likebuilding and repairingcomputers and renovatingand upgrading arcademachines.

Ambition: To take off, fly and land a realplane (preferably my own)

11

John Naismith is a POS


worked in Scotland,

England and Canada.





the fourth of his letters from America.

Q1: What is your day-to-day role withinIBS?

A1: My main aim is to see StockLinkbecome as well known here in theUSA as it is in Europe.

Q2: How long have you been with IBS?A2: All in all about six years. I worked

with them in the UK and had a twoyear gap before teaming up withGareth, Dee and John Naismith.

Q3: What makes IBS special?A3: It sounds very clichéd, but everyone

at IBS is part of a big family. There isa genuine bond between all of us,and even though I am personallythousands of miles away from theIBS hub, I’m still very much a part ofthe team and communicate daily withmy colleagues across the pond.

Q4: What is your approach to your job?A4: I believe you only get out of a job

what you put into it. I’d like to think Iwork very hard and enjoy everythingI do. The result of which has beenloyal customers and good trusting

relationships between us. I undertakeevery project with an open mind.America is different in many ways toEurope and therefore we havelistened and adapted StockLink towork in the US market.

Q5: What is your biggest professionalachievement?

A5: I would have to say I’m pretty proudof my Taco Maker setup we havehere in USA. Currently this franchisehas two Head Office locations, onebased in Puerto Rico and one inUtah. When you think about thedemographics and sheer distancecovered by this StockLink network,it’s quite humbling.

Q6: What is your most memorablework moment?

A6: Standing in front of a room full ofDealers and Franchise Owners in themiddle of one of the world’s biggestCasino’s in Las Vegas running a 10 minute presentation on StockLink.It was rather intimidating to say theleast, but successful.


We do it for the likes of PizzaExpress, BBC, Coffee Republic,Fresh Italy, Peach Pub Co, Fat Café Bar, Geronimo Inns,Tootsies and John Lewis. And we can do it for you as well.


johnlewis



Tel 01280 709 400 Fax 01280 704 315

FAT CATcafé bar

Issue 3 Summer/Autumn 2006


Presto Retail POS upgrade recipe for expansion Taco Maker picks StockLink for USA growth Loyalty key to increased sales and profits The importance of quality project management

Presto Retail POS upgrade recipe for expansion Taco Maker picks StockLink for USA growth Loyalty key to increased sales and profits The importance of quality project management

Welcome to Impact 3 A warm welcome to the Summer 06 edition of Impact, the bi-annual magazine fromIntelligent Business Systems designed to show our impact within the fast-moving world ofPOS. In keeping with the soccer World Cup year, this edition of Impact has an internationalflavour with an article from Steve Krolak, Vice Presidents Franchise Development of TacoMaker in the USA. Closer to home we are delighted another client, Stephen Grocutt, MD ofPasty Presto, tells us about how IBS is helping him manage his fast-growing retail operation.Enjoy reading this edition of Impact. We hope, as always, it gives you plenty of food forthought. If you want to find our how we can impact on your business, do not hesitate tocontact us. We look forward to hearing from you in the near future.

Dee Powell, editor, Impact

Front cover image: Steve Grocutt relaxes at his Stratford Upon Avon outlet. Impact is published on behalf of Intelligent BusinessSystems (St James Road, Brackley, Northants, NN13 7XY, 01280 709 400) by Creative Space Squared. If you have any commentsor feedback, contact me on 01280 709 400 or e-mail [email protected]. We are always delighted to hear from you.

News from IBSPasty Presto’stasty upgradespeeds upreporting

2

IBS has landed a contract to supply a PC POS EPOS-based system at TeesideAirport’s Caterleisure facilities, writesproject manager Mark Bagnall. A key element of the brief was to installthe PC-based POS terminals and StockLinkProfessional without interrupting orinconveniencing Caterleisure customers orstaff. Now having successfully navigated theimplementation at the fast food bar andCosta Coffee kiosk operations, IBS islooking forward to further projects takingoff at other Caterleisure’s airport and railsites in the UK.

IBS has upgraded the enterprisemanagement system for the 28-strongPresto Retail chain to speed up reportingand enhance the business informationavailable to the retailer's directors andsenior managers. Based primarily in the south and south westof England, Pasty Presto is an upmarketbakery café chain selling high-quality,freshly-made food and drink. The upgrade, managed by IBS projectmanagers, Mark Bagnall and Neil Quinn,has seen the installation of StockLinkProfessional at the outlets and StockLinkEnterprise at head office. The project included extensive training ofmanagers, specially commissioned trainingmanuals and a four-week implementationschedule. “This contract shows the benefits of long-term relationships as our understanding andknowledge of Pasty Presto greatly assistedthe smooth transition between the existingand new systems,” said IBS managingdirector Gareth Powell.

Pasty Presto founder and MD, Stephen Grocutt, writes exclusively forImpact. See pages 4 & 5.

IBS flies the flag at Teeside Airport

IBS... in briefIBS has been appointed to install two EPOSsystems of Clinton Leisure’s high profilehospitality outlets in Oxford. PC Pos EPOS-based systems running fullback office software modules at the point ofsale have been configured at the Kazbarand Café CoCo to save time and effort atthe close of business. IBS initially installed the system at theKazbar where manager James Webb andhis team were so impressed they awarded asecond contract for Café CoCo. Highlights of the installation are theintegration of complex table plans, swipecard systems for discounts and customerloyalty and running the cat5e cable in‘exposed copper pipe work’ to ensure theinstallation was sympathetic to the designtheme of the Kazbar. “This was a great project to work on,especially as there is potential to roll out theKazbar as a hospitality brand,” commentedMark Bagnall, IBS project manager.

3

American three-in-one quick servicerestaurant franchise, Taco Maker, Inc, hasincorporated StockLink into new storedevelopment and remodelling packageswith the intention of converting all its outletsin the future.Taco, based in Ogden, Utah, but with over 90stores in Puerto Rico and a presence in India,is a franchise operation created to offer achoice of Mexican, traditional burger andhealth-conscious options under one roof. The company has experienced dramaticgrowth in recent years, driven by highdemand for Mexican food. It is currently intalks with 100 additional franchise operators. “We have systems in place to enable ournew franchisees to operate their facilities ina productive and profitable manner.StockLink is a vital part of that package,”said Steve Krolak, Taco Maker’s vicepresident, franchise development.

Taco Maker picks StockLink for America

Cantaloupevenues gain fromIBS approach

Kazbar and Café CoCo accountgains for IBS

IBS has completed a major softwareinstallation, training and projectmanagement contract for the CantaloupeGroup, which runs four very popular andhigh profile London entertainment venues.Looking for a central management tool tocontrol stock, till programming, reports andweekly business sheets, the CantaloupeGroup approached IBS afterrecommendations from Geronimo Inns,another IBS client. An essential requirementof the project was to ensure new electronicbusiness sheets emulated the old paperspread sheets that had evolved over theyears for the benefit of busy managers.

“This deal in the USA is proof again of theuniversal appeal of StockLink as a tool toallow enterprises to run better, moreprofitable businesses. Naturally, we’redelighted with its success in the USA,” saidIBS managing director, Gareth Powell.

Steve Krolak explains why Taco Makerselected StockLink. See pages 6 & 7.

See our special Cantaloupe projectmanagement feature on pages 8 & 9.

Enhanced practicalCRM option added toStockLink StockLink has added an easy-to-use,updated and enhanced CustomerRelationship Management module to helpclients track customer buying habits, runmeasurable, cost-effective, efficientmarketing and sales promotional plansand offer reward schemes. Optionsinclude tracking points earned bycustomers and individual spend per visit.The module also has numerous reportingfunctions that help assess the value andprofitability of tactical activity.

Uniwell's DX-915 nowavailable from IBS Just launched in the UK, the new UniwellDX-915 is now available from IBS.Specifically designed for hospitalityapplications in pubs, restaurants, cafébars, fast food and drive-throughoperations, the DX-915features a large 15”touch screen LCDmonitor, expanded flashmemory and high-performance CPU. Itfeatures a rugged yeteye-catching cabinetand Ethernet, RS485 andRS232C ports as standard as well asnewly added PS/2 interfaces for a PCkeyboard.

Count on the Tellermate Available from IBS and linked to allversions of StockLink, Tellermate cashcounting technology is designed to speedup till, float, safe and back officereconciliations. Tellermate countscoins, notes and non-cash itemslike cheques and credit cardreceipts by number. A direct linkto StockLink eliminatesmanual data entry and thepotential for human error.

MORE, MORE, MORE

As well as new account gains, IBS teamshave been busy installing hardware/software systems at new sites for existingclients, including the Peach Pub Company,PizzaExpress, Tootsies, Benugos,Lakeside Superbowls and Geronimo Inns.Once installed, the new sites seamlesslyintegrate into their respective head officesystems.

Kazbar

Cantaloupe

4

Tasty future planned for Pasty Presto

“I first thought about the idea for PastyPresto when I was visiting Cornwall andnoticed that although a lot of businesseswere selling Cornish pasties, not many ofthem were doing it particularly well.

Although the inspiration was based aroundthe traditional Cornish pasty, which datesway back to the middle ages and beyond, Ienvisaged Pasty Presto as a pan Europeanfood concept. After all, I wanted maximumcustomer appeal. So our pasties would sitalongside salads, soups and organicbaguettes and gourmet coffee, using thefinest 100% Arabica, traded fairly direct fromthe farmers and ground daily at the point ofsale. Even our pasties would reflectcosmopolitan European tastes. Not onlywould we sell the traditional pasty, we wouldalso add a host of other tempting flavoursfrom savoury spicy chickpea, cheese &onion and curried options to chocolate &banana and apple, rhubarb & custard.

It was a simple but effective retail propositionthat would work if we could guarantee thequality, which I believe we’ve done.

One of the major reasons for our successover the past 10 years has been our totalcommitment to value for money combinedwith the excellence of our offering.Freshness of all our produce, for example,has always been and will always be anessential ingredient to our proposition. Ourpatisserie and viennoiserie products areproved overnight, freshly baked everymorning and only sold that day for perfectfreshness. Likewise, we only use steak forour traditional pasties where mince is adefinitely a dirty word.

Whether they sit in or take out, customersare always going to be tempted by theamazing smells and aromas of freshlycooked food and attention-grabbingwindow and interior displays. We’ve foundover the years that people always eat withtheir eyes and come back for top quality.

Just as we wanted to market ourselves asthe best retailer of Cornish pasties, we alsowanted to ensure we had the most effectivebusiness systems in place. And as we’veexpanded from one to over two dozen

Stephen Grocutt used to buy, renovate and run pubsbefore a trip to Cornwall inspired the launch of PastyPresto, a bakery café chain selling high-quality,freshly-made food and drink. Here Steve talksexclusively to Impact about how IBS has helped theretail catering operation prepare for further expansion.

5

Pasty Presto currentlyhas 28 outlets, primarilyin the south and southwest of England. Four more are due toopen in the near future.

Intelligent BusinessSystems has worked withPasty Presto since thelaunch of the retailconcept a decade agoand recently upgraded itsenterprise managementsystem. This includesinstalling StockLinkenterprise andprofessional software andbroadband routers.

The planning process forthe upgrade took threemonths with the roll out carried out over afour-week period.

IBS converted severalyears of historical DOSdata to a new SQL baseddatabase.

Data transfer is now 100times faster using thenew IBS communicationsinfrastructure.

IBS also supplied a kiosksolution for a newportable pod shop at theNEC, Birmingham. Thishas the potential for wideruse at airports andrailway stations and othersimilar locations.

stores, the need to optimise business controlhas never been more important, especially asfurther additions are in the pipeline withopenings in Canterbury, Bridgend andAshford on the horizon. I’m busy looking atother towns and cities to build an evengreater presence for Pasty Presto.

With the time right for an upgrade, wecontacted Gareth and his team at IBS, whoinstalled and have been looking after ouroriginal system. Our brief was to give usfaster communications and more detailedreporting while at the same time minimisingdisruption to the business.

IBS had to fulfil several key criteria,including training, retaining existinginformation and ensuring a smoothtransition from the old to the new system.

As always, the IBS team is very thorough andproduced a plan for the changeover, whichincluded installing new hardware and softwarein all our restaurants, hosting pre-install grouptraining sessions for our head office staff andoutlet managers. This was supported byinstallation and refresher training and dailyaccess to the IBS help desk. The training runby IBS was important as many of themanagers at the outlets were using Windows-based technology for the first time.

We set a four-week installation planbecause we wanted to minimise thedisruption to the business and again IBSmatched our expectations.

Thanks to IBS’ efforts we now get muchfaster business data transfer from ouroutlets to our head office so we can havedetailed stock result information to run ourbusiness processes. By selecting to use anADSL communications infrastructure, thespeed of data transfer is up to 100 timesfaster than the old standard dial-up. IBSused the ‘stock result designer’ modulewithin StockLink to design new moredetailed stock results for different stockcategories.

Now we have the capability to receive live,real time information every hour (at a muchfaster speed) so we constantly know what ishappening within the business.

The real beauty of the system and havinglong-standing relationships with keysuppliers is the fact they understand ourbusiness and are able to help us developnew ideas and concepts.

One of our most recent achievements hasbeen a high profile outlet at the Piazzawithin Birmingham’s NEC. As well as theoutlet at the exhibition and events venue,we’ve also introduced a mobile ‘pod’ thatcan be moved from hall to hall to offer in-show catering for exhibitors and visitorsalike. Cleverly we installed a 15” PC POSterminal with an integrated point of sale andfull touch-enabled back office system onone machine. The system also boasts asimm card based pay-as-you go mobileADSL router for communications to HQ.

This ability to be innovative and creative isthe hallmark of both Pasty Presto and IBS.It gives us a genuine competitive advantagein the market place and bodes well for ourfuture growth. These are exciting times.

Pasty Presto’s 10 steps to betterbusiness control 01 Create a new head office database

using StockLink

02 Create a blueprint restaurant database

03 Create user policies and set-uppolling bureau service

04 Design more detailed weekleybusiness sheets

05 Design comprehensive stock levelresults and reports

06 Design custom purchase ordertemplates

07 Plan organise & action grouptraining sessions and producetraining manuals

08 Plan, organise & action upgrade rollout to all restaurants

09 Provide on-going after-sales support

10 Develop innovative POD POS formobile shop at the NEC

6

Combination outlets are Taco Maker'smost productive and most profitableventure. And little wonder. They haveuniversal popularity. Our one-roof, three-in-one offering appeals to all the familybecause it gives them genuine choicewhen they visit us.

My own family, for instance, is typical ofthe type of people who like to haveoptions. Nine times out of ten my wife willorder the taco salad while I prefer theBurrito Grande Platter because it has alittle of everything Mexican, which Iadore. However, my youngest daughterwill usually have a hamburger withcheese fries. For desert my daughter andI will have ice cream and my wife willhave one of our Mayan Jamma Juices,with either a fibre or fat-burner booster,because it's "healthier." Come the end ofthe meal, we're happy because we'veeaten what we want, we've eatentogether and we've eaten well.

OK, my family could be bias so you mayneed more proof of the popularity of theconcept? Well, we have 146 outletscurrently in operation with a further 10 newoutlets in various stages of development.Since the start of the year, we've beenspeaking to hundreds of individuals whowant to become involved with us.

We're always willing to talk to prospectivebusiness partners. At home in the USA oranywhere else in the world, including the UK(we have already launched a franchiseoperation in India).

When we speak to potential partners wepush two essentials; the popularity of ouroffering and the proven track record andsuccess of our business model.

We've researched it and we know it works.Mexican food is undergoing a real boom atthe moment, outpacing all other segmentsat the rate of 4 to 1 so our freshly-madeTaco Maker menu is grabbing a lot ofattention. Our Jake's Over the Topcharbroiled burgers, cheese fries, and icecream treat are the mainstay offering of theAmerican QSR industry while MayanJamma Juice attracts the more healthconscious segment.

As part of our New Store DevelopmentPackage we include the necessaryequipment and software specifications soall new franchisees know exactly how tooperate their facilities in a productive andprofitable manner. StockLink is now anintegral and vital part of that package.

In today's world no one can afford to waituntil the end of the month to see if they got

StockLink integral to successof three-in-one QSR franchise

Franchising is big

business in the USA

where tried and tested

concepts have a far

greater success rate

than new start ups.

Here Steve Krolak, vice

president, franchise

development of the Taco

Maker, Jake's Over The

Top and Mayan Jamma

Juice combination tells

Impact about the

importance of StockLink

to his Quick Service

Restaurant (QSR)

franchise proposition.

7

AMERICAN SPECIAL FEATURE

lucky and made some money. By then itcould obviously be far too late and we're notin the business of gambling.

With StockLink, our franchisees canreview their productivity at the end ofeach and every day. This allows us as thefranchisor to help our franchisees makethe necessary course corrections toaddress those critical factors that impacton our business.

Marketing and advertising plans can beadjusted as needed. Key points of businessoperations that are taught in our extensivetraining program are reinforced whenrenewed focus is needed.

When we explain this to potentialfranchisees, it shows them we meanbusiness. Shows them we have the systemsin place that eliminates risk.

Once accepted as a franchise, we not onlyteach our franchisees how to make a greattasting burrito but how to run a greatbusiness. We also teach them what to lookfor on the business front. StockLink givesthem the information they need to quicklydetermine if their business is on track or not.

In the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR), orfast-food business, we have to deal withsome pretty volatile factors and againStockLink is a key ingredient.

Controlling labour and food costs is essentialto our success. Labour turn-over tends to bevery high in this industry. For the most partthere are a lot of younger people; high schoolstudents just starting out in the work force,and those that are working their way throughcollege. Training and proper schedulingsounds like QSR 101, but it's not always thatsimple. You have to know and understandyour business and that includes customertrends and patterns, not just class schedules.It means you need to track performance andmeasure that performance against a provenprofitable model. Tracking that sort ofinformation and pulling it from our otheroutlets allows us to constantly validate ourown model and guide our franchisees in aresponsible manner.

Our menu items are made fresh fromscratch daily. When you make the decisionto offer that level of food quality, getting theright amount of each of our speciallyselected ingredients to each of our outlets ina timely manner is the only way we canguarantee the freshness of the food weserve. We can't afford to run out of food,we'll frustrate and lose customers. Nor canwe afford to throw away excessive amountsof stale food products as that drives up theoverall costs. It's perhaps the simplestexample of where knowledge is power. Inour case, it is the difference betweenmaking money or losing it.

We're serious about making money. For usthe best way to do that is to deliver a qualitymeal made from the freshest ingredients,and do so at a reasonable price in a timelymanner. That has been the key to oursuccess everywhere we go.

At the time of writing, we've opened our92nd outlet in Puerto Rico. By the end ofthis year we will surpass our original goal of100 outlets in that market. We have alsotargeted several other key US markets to

introduce The Taco Maker - Jake's Overthe Top - Mayan Jamma Juice

combination concept and alreadyhave several new outlets in variousstages of construction. We have

experienced steady success in severalinternational markets as well, and have

begun working with key contacts in a varietyof areas. Our outlets in India are doing welland we expect that market to also growsignificantly over the next five years.

If you’re intersted in finding out more about Taco Maker franchiseopportunities please contact Steve Krolak at [email protected]

8

“The Cantaloupe Group has developed fourvery busy sites and wanted to install a centralmanagement tool to control sales reporting,weekly business sheets, touchscreen tillprogramming and stock control. As theGroup already had Uniwell touchscreenterminals, our role was to install StockLinkenterprise software at head office andStockLink professional software at unit levelto give everyone the control and reportingdata they required. Smooth projectmanagement and detailed training ensuredall key Cantaloupe team membersunderstood and supported what we weredoing. This was essential to the successcriteria of the project.

Just as important, we had to make sure therewas minimum disruption to the head officemanagement and day to day running of thefour sites. This commitment made the projectall the more enjoyable and challenging. Allfour sites are high profile businesses and arefrequently featured in Time Out magazine inLondon. I would say they are quite unique intheir genre and that success is partly down tothe highly competent managers who have afairly autonomous role in the management oftheir businesses.

As with all the contracts we undertake atIBS, listening and planning come before anyimplementation and installation. We like tolisten in detail to what the client wants toachieve and how their and our resourcescan complement one another to the mutualbenefit of all concerned. Dan Heath and histeam at Cantaloupe already had in place anextremely efficient and up-to-date IT set upand just as important, the external networkcompany they used were very helpful andefficient.

Possibly my greatest challenge was creatingthe business sheets. The prerequisite wasto ensure our new versions emulatedwherever possible the complexspreadsheets that had evolved over theyears. This was to eliminate much of thework for the managers and ensure that allimportant smooth transition. A business isbound to suffer if new systems slow downthe day to day management and interferewith operational procedures.

This was particularly demanding becausethey had never done in-house stock results.They therefore had to appoint variousmembers of staff to take ownership of the

stock elements of Stocklink and set upsuppliers, products and prices etc and linkthem to the PLU breakdowns. At IBS wedeal with this every day of the week so it iseasy for us to understand. For people newto it, it can be a big learning curve for themreally, and everyone at the CantaloupeGroup responded very well.

With the planning and people in place toensure a smooth switch, it’s time to kick offthe changeover from old to new. In this casewe had to upload all of their existingprogram data from the touchscreenterminals at each site back into StockLink.This procedure had the added advantage ofauto-generating the update files for headoffice. Next we installed head office andpolled the sites. All the program data for

Quality project managementkeeps IBS in harmony withCantaloupe Group

Project management is an essential requisite for any IT-basedcompany looking to make a genuine difference in a highlycompetitive hospitality environment. Here project manager JustinAtkinson reveals the IBS approach to a software installation andtraining programme for the Cantaloupe Group, which runs four very popular and high profile London entertainment venues.

Market Place

9

each site then populated the head officedatabase – and the install was in fact textbook from start to finish!

Once everything is installed and up andrunning, there are always the follow upcalls to ensure everything is as it shouldbe. Speaking to the managers afterwardswas extremely stimulating with fastflowing, positive feedback, particularlyfrom the time-saving perspective of thenew procedures. The post-install phasewas extremely rewarding because themanagers have told me how pleased theyare with the end result. When we installed

the software, the managers were alwaysextremely positive and eager to learnabout the new procedures. Training wasalso made easy by the fact that themanagers were keen to learn and morethan competent at understanding newsystems.

Ultimately, the biggest test of a successfulproject is whether you get invited backagain. Without counting our chickens, welook forward to working with Dan and histeam at Cantaloupe in the near futurewhen they open their next exciting newsite in the capital, the Big Chill House.

The Cantaloupe Group,launched 10 years ago bydirectors Richard Big andNigel Foster, runs fourhospitality businesses inLondon and is planning toopen another two outlets inthe near future, including theBig Chill House and a newfood/drink concept.Cantaloupe’s high profilevenues combine quality foodand drink offerings with livemusic ranging from urban andhip hop to alternative country.As well as stylish, distinctivevenues with their own uniquepersonalities and styles, theGroup also runs its ownrecord labels, releasing a widevariety of music with the bestknown artist probably beingLady Sovereign.

Cargo

10

You don’t need to have a Mastersdegree in marketing to understand thebenefits of customer loyalty programmesand relationship management. Anyonewho runs a business knows it is muchharder to convert new clients than it is tosell to existing customers. This isparticularly true of the fickle hospitalityindustry. At the same time, it is importantto reward the loyalty of existingcustomers. Which is why we have addeda Customer Relationship Managementmodule to our StockLink software tohelp you achieve all of the above and alot more besides.

This new module, which replaces ourexisting customer loyalty module, is aseasy to use as the rest of the StockLinksoftware. Powered by Windows andfeaturing familiar drag ‘n’ droptechnology, the new module can be usedat both head office and unit level.

Key to the success of the module – andindeed all your customer relationshipmanagement – is the collection andregular cleansing of detailed customerdatabases. Once this has beenimplemented you can start benefitingfrom a number of great features. Themodule has a mailmerge facility so youcan communicate with your customersby post, e-mail, text or phone. If you’vegot the details, you can speak to themquickly, cost-effectively and personally.

Here are a few of the great things you can do. Tracking points gained by customers toreward them for the amount theyspend. Major supermarket chainsepitomise these schemes which arebecoming increasingly attractive tohospitality chains and independents.Points schemes like these can alsopromote particular brands or items attimes to suit your business. Tracking individual customer spend byitem and groups of items gives you abrilliant profile of their purchasinghabits, collectively and individually.This information is an invaluable aid toplanning and implementing tacticalpromotional activity. You can runmultiple loyalty schemes. These caneither be pre-paid cashless cards orpoints-earned, whatever suits thestrategic and operationaldevelopment and management ofyour business.

Managing customerrelationships increasesloyalty and benefitsthe bottom line! IBS managing director Gareth Powell explainshow the new Customer RelationshipManagement module in StockLink helpsimprove customer retention and loyalty.

Run cashless spend programmes –which we find are particularly popularwith universities, colleges and schools.Loyalty schemes enable you to accessdetailed customer reports to give yourelevant information to manage yourmarketing and operations effectively.

Flexibility is synonymous with the on-goingsuccess of StockLink and this new moduleis no exception. You can have multiplecards per customer, produce cardscontrolled by expiry dates and activate ordeactivate cards for the ultimate inmanagement control.

In fact, we anticipate this will be one ofthe most eagerly awaited and popularnew modules that we have introduced toStockLink. The real beauty is you can runloyalty programmes just as good as thesupermarkets without requiring massiveset up investment and running costs. Nowthat’s worth raising a glass to! Cheers.

Cash loyalty is simplicity itself.

1 Your customer is issued with a cardwhich has its own unique number.

2 The customer is assigned to ascheme or multiple schemes (someof our clients may have manydifferent company schemes).

3 The customer card is credited with acash amount. This can be donecentrally as in company schemes or ata till point just like any other transaction.

4 Whenever a sale is made through theepos terminal the customer presentsthe loyalty card for swiping and thecash amount is deducted from thecredit on the card. The epos terminalwill print a detailed customer receiptto include:• Total points earned & available to use• Points earned in this transaction• New points balance

5 Credit balances are left on the cardfor future use or if you exceed thecredit you can simply pay any excessin the normal way.

6 Added security such as a customerphotograph can pop-up on the eposterminal at the time of the transaction

It’s exciting times in America on both abusiness and personal front.

One of my highlights away from the office wasattending Hugh Hefner’s 80th birthday party.There was a lot going on, which I won’t repeathere, but I can say that it was nice not to be theoldest guy in the room!

I admit to being “more experienced” than mycolleagues on both sides of the pond, but atthe Playboy Mansion I was a comparativeyoungster – among the men, at least. Thewomen were quite another matter!

Talking of young women, congratulations go toSimon and Sharon Wells on the birth of theirdaughter Jessica. She’s a beautiful baby and,as a bonus, is helping her dad learn how to gowithout sleep. This will come in very handy asour US customer base continues to grow.Some of you may remember Simon from whenhe worked with IBS in England. Simondecided his future lay in America, so he came,

married and began raising a family. He was ona visit to see his family in England when heheard of our plans for North America. Simonwas delighted to rejoin and is proving to be areal asset.

As a project manager, Simon works with bothresellers and end users, and he was involvedfrom an early stage with Taco Maker, whooperate out of Ogden, Utah.

Taco Maker, which includes Jake’s Over theTop and Mayan Jamma Juice as part of itsthree-in-one consumer offering, is nowspecifying StockLink as an integral part of itsbusiness for existing and new franchisees.

Taco Maker Vice President Steven Krolakexplains why in an exclusive feature on pages6 & 7. Steven is always very happy to hearfrom a potential franchisee, no matter where

they are in the world. Contact details are at theend of Steven’s article.

While Taco Maker’s main office is in Utah,Caribbean operations are based in PuertoRico, where Taco Maker will open their 100thisland location later this year. I’ve spoken oftento Alejandro Burgos, Operations Specialist forthe region, but we’ve yet to meet. Maybe I’llwait until winter sets in here on the mainlandbefore I arrange that visit.

I’ll keep you posted onnew developmentsstateside in thenext issueof Impact.


IBS Profile…

Name: Barry MillerJob title: Customer SupportStatus: Engaged Children: TwoInterests: Music, readingAmbition: To go to a concert

in Seattle Fav song: Queensryche

- Operation Mindcrime Fav drink: Guinness, JamesonsFav food: ChilliFav film: Breakfast ClubFav country: Cuba

11

John Naismith is a POS industry veteran

who has worked in Scotland, England

and Canada. Now he operates out of

Atlanta, Georgia, leading the IBS

invasion of North America, after a spell

as President of Uniwell USA. Here he

sends us his latest Scotsman's Letter

from America.

Q1: What is your day-to-day role at IBS?A1: My primary role is to provide

telephone support to customers toensure the smooth running of oursystems and give them all the supportthey need. My role also includessetting up pc/till systems and liaisingwith client head office personnel to ensure rollouts, engineer calloutsand installs are achieved withmaximum efficiency. It’s enjoyableand challenging work.

Q2: How long have you been with IBS?A2: Seven years – and not feeling itchy

at all!

Q3: What is your approach to your job?A3: A5, A43 every morning! Seriously, I

give them the same effort andcommitment I would expect if I werethe client.

Q4: What is your previous industryexperience?

A4: I spent five years working in the NorthWest for a well known EPOS

company before moving down south.However, I do head north severaltimes a year. Nothing beats watchingEverton at Goodison Park. Come onyou blues!

Q5: What makes IBS special? A5: Several reasons. Each day is varied

with new and different challenges. Thestaff here at IBS all have different skillswhich we pool together to create avast source system knowledge to helpour customers. It’s probably one of thebest knowledge banks in our industry.

Q6: What is your most memorablelife/work experience?

A6: I wouldn’t like to highlight oneparticular client or job as they are allimportant. However, on the personalfront finishing the SunRun (a 26.2 milenight hike/run through the Malvern/Chiltern Hills) takes some beating.Never has the thought of a pint of theblack stuff seemed so inviting. Ortasted so good when I finally got myhands on one.




johnlewis



Tel 01280 709 400 Fax 01280 704 315

FAT CATcafé bar



IBS goes PizzaExpress Service Level Agreements: arguments for and againstStockLink: how we’re always improving See us at Caffè Culture

Welcome to Impact 2 A warm welcome to Impact 2, which gives you the latest from our colourful world of POSand enterprise management systems. Inside we reveal more reasons why we are a marketleading supplier to hospitality, catering and retail businesses in the UK, Europe and NorthAmerica. From high profile multi-site installations to challenging one-off projects, Impact 2shows how we approach each and every contract with the same professionalism andcommitment. We also look at how we are constantly developing StockLink and highlight thepros and cons of Service Levels Agreements. Enjoy Impact 2. We hope it gives you morefood for thought and encourages you to place us at the forefront of your mind when it comesto your next POS or enterprise management investment. Whatever you do, give us a calland see what impact we can make to your business.


Front cover image: IBS goes PizzaExpress in Milton Keynes. Impact is published on behalf of Intelligent Business Systems (St James Road, Brackley, Northants, NN13 7XY, 01280 709 400) by Creative Space Squared. If you have any comments orfeedback, contact me on 01280 709 400 or e-mail [email protected]. We are always delighted to hear from you.

News from IBSPrecision planning key to major PizzaExpress roll out

2

The Bedford, an award-winning, seven-daylive music venue in South London, has a newstar performer thanks to IBS. Its newupgraded POS system gives the Bedfordmanagement team greater control of cashand stock as well as the ability to manageand programme price and menu changes.Extensive planning and training wereessential to ensure minimal disruption duringthe transitional period. A highlight of theinstallation at the large, busy location was theextensive network infrastructure necessaryto secure trouble-free communications.

IBS has just completed a major seven-figurecontract with PizzaExpress to upgrade thefamous pizza chain’s POS and enterprisemanagement system. The roll-out alsoincluded associated brands like Café Pasta,Milano, Gourmet Pizza, Marzano andKettners. This intensive programmefeatured nine installations per week over anine-month period and includedestablishing a specialist training room forpre-installation staff training. To ensureminimal disruption to the chain’s dailytrading, each installation was live and readyto trade by 11.30am. “This is a fine exampleof IBS at work, where precision planningwas key to ensuring every element of thecontract ran smoothly,” commented IBSmanaging director, Gareth Powell.

See pages 6 & 7 for our photo caption story about this installation.

All change at the Bedford, night and day

IBS at inaugural CaffèCulture exhibition IBS is appearing at the inaugural Caffè Culture exhibition, NationalHall Olympia, London, 24- 25May 2006. IBS is featuring itssolutions for the fast growingUK café sector on standnumber C28. Dee Powell, IBScommercial director, said:“This is an ideal opportunity toshow the burgeoning UK cafémarket how IBS can make adifference to the way they runtheir business. Whether theyare start up or multi-site, wehave the experience and expertiseto help them run a better enterprise.”Caffè Culture also offers business forumsplus demonstrations, debates andbusiness seminars.

To order your complimentary tickets for the show please call Dee Powell on 01280 709 400 orvisit www.ibs-systems.co.uk

Colourful aures collectionavailable from IBSAures Technologies’ 2006 collection isnow available from IBS, writes projectmanager, Justin Atkinson. This newlyreleased range presentsa total contrast to classicand ‘black box’ POSterminals. The Odyssérange, described byAures as a symphony ofcolours and harmony,can change colour to suitsurroundings using aclever clip-on system sothey can adapt to anydesign environment. Wereckon Aures can do toPOS terminals whatApple has done for homeand business computers!What do you think?

IBS... in briefUniversity challengepassed with flying colours IBS passed its latest university challengeafter writing bespoke software links to thirdparty software for Burleigh Court, aconference and training facility atLoughborough University. This was donethrough developing a series of “.Netservices” to enable real-time POS salesdata to be posted directly into ‘Kinetics’bedroom booking & conferencing software.The facility provides modern trainingrooms equipped with digital audio-visualtechnology, spacious en-suite bedroomsand a luxurious leisure club. IBS installedand upgraded a full POS and StockLinkback office system at the 137-bed facility.IBS also installed a cashless accountsystem, real-time bedroom interface andhand-held sales ordering systems.

StockLink new result module unveiled See page 10

3

STOP PRESS!

Major high street retailer, John Lewis, hasinstalled StockLink to help provide like-for-likecatering comparisons across its branches toenable it to get a clear analysis of costs andmargins. Already an existing IBM POS user,John Lewis selected StockLink as its preferredcatering enterprise management solution. JohnLewis chose industry consultants, Triangle, tosupply its ‘Revelation’ US POS software. Afterinitial testing at John Lewis’s Bluewater andTrafford Centre stores, the intention is roll out toall 27 branches in 2006. Ten new superstoresare also planned over the next three years.

Lakeside Superbowl, a fast growing chain often-pin bowling centres, has opened itstenth site with IBS providing all locationswith Uniwell touchscreen terminals andStockLink back office software.An ADSL broadband communicationsinfrastructure links all the sites to theStockLink enterprise management systemat Lakeside’s head office in Newbury.

Lakeside superbowl bowled over by IBS

More elbow room for IBS

Tootsies back on the expansiontrailTootsies, the upmarket burger restaurantchain, has opened another six new siteswith IBS suppyling and installing full POSand back office management systems at thenew locations in Oxford, Ipswich,Richmond, Lincoln, Norwich and Bury StEdmunds. Each outlet will link directly intothe existing StockLink Enterprisemanagement system installed by IBS earlierin the year. See Impact 1 for the full Tootsiesstory.

John Lewisinstalls StockLink

The Elbow Room chain of pool lounge andlate-night bars has selected IBS to upgradeits POS and enterprise managementsystems with the installation of new PC POStouchscreen terminals, writes IBS seniorproject manager Mark Bagnall. A highlightof the IBS system is a touch-enabledversion of the StockLink back office system.This runs directly onto the PC POSterminals for system flexibility and savesconsiderable costs, especially in the smalleror kiosk-style sites.

See page 4 for more about this story.

4

IBS embracesUniversity challenge

IBS passed its latestuniversity challenge withflying colours when itinstalled and upgraded afull POS system andintegrated bedroombooking system at the137-bed conference andtraining facility atLoughborough University.Here IBS senior projectmanager, Mark Bagnall(above), explains how andwhy the contract proved tobe such an enjoyable test.We won this contract primarily because wewere able to show the Burleigh Courtsteering team, who had been briefed toselect their new system, that IBS had theability, knowledge and experience to writebespoke software links to a third partyvendor’s software.

Having this capability is a real bonus whenwe go to see clients because they know wecan always look at the bigger picture ratherthan plump for an easy off-the-self option.And even when we do come up with asolution, we always remain flexible enoughto adapt and deal with any difficulties andissues that confront us. It is a big sellingpoint and has helped tip the balancetowards us on many occasions. Few POS orenterprise management companies canmatch this integrated approach.

Our original brief with Burleigh Court was toachieve a smooth transition from the oldsystem to the new Uniwell DX890 POS setup while implementing a cashless accountsystem, a real-time bedroom interface andhand-held sales ordering systems.

There was a slight problem becauseBurleigh Court uses the Kinetics bedroom/conferencing system. However, Kinetics

What we did forBurleigh Court ✓ Project planning and liaising with

Loughborough University. IT Dept.

✓ POS keyboard menu design agreedwith and approved by the customerprior to POS training

✓ Pre-installation training for BurleighCourt management team, keyoperations, accounts and IT Staff

✓ Installation of hardware

✓ Upgrade of StockLink to the latestversion (V5)

✓ Installation of new .NET serviceapplications

✓ Hand-holding capability

✓ Bespoke report writing to suit theneeds of key decision makers

✓ Introduction of a cashless CRM system

✓ After sales support and advice

does not have a Uniwell off-the-shelfinterface so the two would be unable to talkto one another.

Fortunately, we have one of the bestsoftware development teams in thebusiness and they were able to come upwith an innovative solution built around aseries of .NET services rather thanapplications.

They wrote a .NET service as a brokerbetween the POS and Kinetics, a featurethat is now unique to IBS. This series of“Net services” imports real time POS salesand posts data directly into KineticsBedroom booking and conferencingsoftware.

At the same time, we implementedStockLink’s fully integrated CRM module,which has the ability to be run as either aCASHLESS or POINTS system. This alsoruns as a .NET service, evidence of thelogical thinking that is part of the IBSphilosophy.

In addition, the Burleigh Court contractincluded a full Uniwell POS system,integrated Orderman hand-held terminalswith kitchen and bar dispense printing.

Once again, we have shown our flexibility tochange and develop StockLink to satisfythe exact requirements of Burleigh Court’sIT, operations and accounts departments. It

has definitely been a benefit to keep allthree departments happy and it has givenus the opportunity to present a quotation tothe main Loughborough University Catering& Bars Department.

5

Service LevelAgreements!Who needs them?

And to be fair, they do have a point. If theyare happy to take a ‘laissez faire’ approachto running their business, it means anyproblems can be sorted our reactively afterthey have occurred rather than proactivelyanticipate and plan for them in advance.They are also prepared to gamble that thecosts of reactive action will be cheaperthan a service level agreement spread over12 months.

Now some might say you can buy theseservices individually on a ‘needs must’basis and negotiate the best deal at thetime. Indeed you can and some businessesdo. Some even thrive on this policy and itdoes make for an exciting time. Certainly,there is never going to be ever a dullmoment.

However, most businesses, in ourexperience, would rather operate with totalpeace of mind, safe in the knowledge thattheir POS or enterprise managementsystem is not only fully protected but isalso able to take advantage of technology

advances. They appreciate this costsmoney but they also realise there is nosuch thing as a free lunch in the world of business.

So what are the benefits of a service levelagreement? From our perspective, itmakes business sense to guarantee thesystem is always working properly andeffectively. From your point of view, it givesyou extra security to know that call-outs,replacement parts, labour and associatedcosts are guaranteed. No nasty surprisesround the corner.

Also remember, this is your businesssystem and critical data needs to bemanaged quickly, professionally andconfidentially.

We also provide a platform for an on-goingmutually beneficial relationship wherecustomers enjoy preferential treatment anddiscounted rates for developing bespokesoftware, replacing parts, providingadditional training and managed services.

Can a fast moving, profitable hospitalitybusiness really be truly effective withoutthe added security of a service levelagreement to protect their epos andenterprise management systems? Dee Powell (right) plays devil’s advocateand puts the case for and against!

6 Real SLA BenefitsPreferential treatment as a SLAcustomer

Pay monthly interest-freeinstalments to spread cost and forbudget control

Discounted additional services suchas training and bespoke programming

Free software upgrades of latestversions

Dedicated on-line and telephonesupport desk

Ability to dial into software and fixremotely

Commitment to working together inpartnership

We normally negotiate the SLA based on theneeds of a client. We find this works bestbecause no two customers are ever the same.

So if you’re thinking about service levelagreements look beyond the bottom line. It does pay dividends.

Dee Powell is IBS Commercial Director and editorof IMPACT and is not auditioning for the next PrimeSuspect series. Honest.

There is one very simple argument that customers will put forward when theywant to avoid a service level agreement: it costs too much. From theirperspective they see money going out for a service they may never use, cashthat could be better spent elsewhere or taken out of the business all together.It is an argument anyone involved in IT, or any other service sector, hears allthe time so it is not exclusive to our industry.

The perfect recipe forenterprise management:Just add IBS!

6

7

PizzaExpress needs little introduction with 16 million happy customersflocking to the UK’s original upmarket pizza restaurant chain each year.Founded in 1965 in Wardour Street, London, PizzaExpress continues toprovide Italian inspired cuisine using quality ingredients freshly prepared bypizzaiolos in the restaurants’ open kitchens. Along with its pizzas,PizzaExpress is renowned for its imaginative, individual design andimpeccable service. Equally important are the tactical and strategicmechanics of running the business efficiently and effectively, which is whereIBS enters the picture with the recent completion of a major upgrade at over350 sites across the UK, the Channel Islands and Ireland to ensurePizzaExpress’ POS and enterprise management systems remain state of theart with the latest information and reporting gathering processes. ForPizzaExpress, the changeover had to be achieved with minimal disruption.This saw over 350 installations taking place over a nine-month period with anaverage of nine installs per week. Each installation was completed and readyto trade by 11.30am. Extensive in-house training and communication wereparamount to ensuring a smooth transition from the old system to the new. Alltraining took place at the PizzaExpress head office in Uxbridge, Middlesex,where a dedicated training room was established complete with 16 configuredmini-systems to ensure a hands-on introduction to the new system.

On-going StockLinkdevelopment in safe hands

9

News that StockLink has just launched a new ‘stock result module’ (see page10) comes as no surprise to the many hospitality professionals who alreadyemploy the stock and cash control software at thousands of sites in the UK,Europe and across North America. After all, one of StockLink’s numerousselling points is the fact it is constantly updated in order to maintain its placeat the forefront of IT technology. Here Impact 2 grills two senior IBS softwaredevelopers. On this page, we quiz Michael Ball, 30, (right) about hisinvolvement with StockLink while on page 10 Will Mainwaring, 33, (left) talksus through the latest on-screen developments.

Question time

Q1: How are you doing? So how longhave you worked with StockLink?

MB: 13 Years in total although four was asan end user so I’ve seen it from bothsides now.

Q2: What one thing do you think makesStockLink unique in the marketplace?

MB: Probably its ability to interface withdifferent types of Point of sale systems.

Q3: And what do you see as the three mostimportant benefits to the end user?

MB: First, total stock control, second, anability to make changes easily at thepoint of sale and third, good accuratereporting facilities.

Q4: How has StockLink changed fromyour first involvement with thesoftware?

MB: As I’ve been here for a few years, I haveseen StockLink develop from a DOSsystem to a much more sophisticatedsoftware suite with new POSprogramming features for example likedrag and drop keyboard design.

Q5: What is the process for updatingStockLink?

MB: When we have completed a numberof developments, we will place thenew software through our rigoroustesting procedures. When we arefully satisfied, we will build this readyfor release. This is then placed on theFTP site for downloading. Updatesobviously include our release notes.

Q6: How does the feedback processwork in reality?

MB: Like I said previously, that’s whatreally happens!

Q7: How often do you write specialistadditions to StockLink?

MB: About once every two months acertain feature for a specificcustomer may be introduced.

Q8: And are these additions thenincorporated into the next updatefor everyone to use?

MB: It depends, sometimes customerswill specify and pay for their ownunique development work,sometimes the features are toounique to apply to general usage butgenerally most features will beapplied into a general release.

Q9: What do you personally like bestabout StockLink as a softwarepackage if you were wearing yourend user hat?

MB: It’s easy to use, and I helped create it,with a little help from the likes of Willand the rest of the team!

Q10: Funny you mention other people: how does the softwaredevelopment team work together?

MB: I lead the team by filtering any non-development issues, planning thedevelopment schedule and workingtogether to enhance the product butwe all have a crucial day-to-day role in its success. Weare like a Grand Prix team –finely tuned.

Q11: What is the biggest day-to-day challenge assoftware developers?

MB: Meeting deadlines. Like theGrand Prix pit stops – wehave to move fast.

Q12: What is your biggestachievement assoftware developers?

MB: Helping StockLinkbecome what it is today, afine product people arehappy to use in theUK, Europe andthe USA

Q13: What are you currently working onnow?

MB: Talking about North America, we aredoing some enhancements for theUSA EPROM and fixing some issuesfor an early 2006 release.

Q14: The USA is an interestingdevelopment. When did you startworking on the USA version?

MB: Beginning of 2004

Q15: How is the USA StockLink differentfrom the UK version?

MB: Well currency and dates are a majordifference as is the communicationsprotocol to the Uniwell terminals.

Q16: What does the future hold forStockLink?

MB: I see StockLink becoming morecentral and a system that can beaccessed from a browser maybe formanagement reports. Whateverhappens, it will be fun being involved.

10

StockLink newresult moduleunveiled

StockLink uses easy-to-use screens and drag anddrop technology. Colourful, user-friendly naviagationare essential in today’s busy hospitality environment

where the vast majority of people – from the bar tothe boardroom – are familiar with Windows XP.

Detailed reporting is structured to tailored to theindividual needs of each user ensures StockLink

stands out from the competition.

Attractive, easy-to-use,user-friendly screensare essential for anysoftware developerwanting to grab theattention of today’su l t r a - c o m p e t i t i v ehospitality and catering market, as IBSsoftware developer, Will Mainwaring,explains and reviews a variety ofscreenshots. Oh, and you need to beaware of the differences both sides ofthe Atlantic too.

Today software must do lots of things toprove viable to any hospitality business,but from my point of view customisabilityand a modern XP look and feel areessential. Almost everyone with access toa computer is familiar with Windows so inthe XP era it makes sense to use it as theplatform for the way you see StockLink onscreen. After all, whether you are adomestic or professional user of Windows,you’ll find it easier to use, customisableand versatile, no matter what your role inyour business. Drag and drop technologyis a perfect example of this.

Windows XP has the added benefit withhelping us interface with a large variety ofdifferent POS terminals, databases andthird party applications, as well asimproving reports and stock input screens.I like it because it makes enhancementssuch as designing new screens or addingnew source modules a lot easier from thedeveloper’s point of view.

Having this capability is very importantbecause it gives us speed and we have avery quick turnaround of development.For example, we have produced a USAversion of StockLink in double quick timedespite the huge difference between thetwo continents that are separated bymore than 3,000 miles of water. As youare no doubt aware, Americans spellmany words differently and theterminology varies. Some examples,

Till/Register, Supplier/Vendor, End OfSession/End Of Shift, Vat/Tax, Labour/ Labor,Colour/Color, etc. Also, date formatting isdifferent. Instead of 31/12/2005, theAmericans says 12/31/2005. And asMicrosoft isn’t too hot on internationalisationfor its development software, I have to beextra vigilant. When I am designing a newmodule, I always have to keep this in theback of my mind to ensure spellingdifferences are covered. Causes a lot ofconfusion on the Scrabble board but not onthe screens of the end users.

A new stock result module has beenlaunched to increase StockLinks efficiency,improve security and enhance reporting.This module includes a stock resultdesigner to customise layouts to specificclient requirements. It also allows multi-level stock results, merge stock locations,up to 99 security levels, optimum GP% /yields and finalise / print result functions.This new module adds to the choice anddepth of the StockLink reporting options.

For more informationabout StockLink and IBS visitwww.ibs-systems.co.uk

See things better with StockLink

Exciting times on this side of the Atlanticwith the hot news that Datasym Inc, one ofNorth America’s leading Point of Salecompanies, has added StockLink to itsportfolio. Although Datasym has been verysuccessful in the retail and grocery arenasfor 20 years, the company wanted to beable to offer its distributor channel a moreversatile product line.

Having entered into an OEM agreement withUniwell US to brand and sell the DX890 andSX700/800 hospitality terminals under theDatasym name, the next challenge was tofind software that met the high qualitystandards of its own brand software. Aftermuch research Datasym chose StockLinkwhich, according to Carolyn Rollins, SeniorVP Sales & Marketing “not only met, butexceeded all our expectations.”

Already Datasym has been busy, hostingsales and training sessions across NorthAmerica to introduce their dealer channel toStockLink.

And the first installation has beencompleted at Escapade, a country andwestern style nightclub based in Dallas,Texas. These clubs are upscale warehouse-sized nightclubs, catering for the Hispaniccommunity, who account for about 36% ofthe Dallas area population. Escapadealready operates three clubs in the area andneeded a solution for a fourth site that wasjust about ready to open.

Innovative Cash Register in Dallas, who hadpreviously installed Escapade’s other clubs,proposed StockLink with the Uniwell DX890as an updated solution. Datasym sent ateam down to help the dealer with theinstallation and in less than a weekeverything was running smoothly.StockLink provides them with the salesinformation they require to streamline andrun an efficient business.

Escapade clubs are extremely popular,having up to 2000 patrons on their dance

floor Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.Open from 4pm until 2am, with alcoholsales of $30,000 -$35,000 per night - theyare big business!!

When discussing the distribution arrangementat a recent industry conference, Rick Stern,President of Datasym Inc said: “We are veryexcited with the decision to market StockLinkin North America and look forward tocontinued success with the product.”

We agree with Rick and also look forward toworking with them for many years to come.

From my point of view, as a POSprofessional who first worked in the UK, it isfascinating looking at these projectsbecause you realise what a multi-culturalsociety the USA is: for instance, themajority of Escapades’ clientele areMexican immigrants, though some arerecent arrivals from Central and SouthAmerica. One or two Scots turned up too.


IBS Profile…

Name: Justin AtkinsonAge: 41Job title: Project ManagerJob description: Managing new projectsEducation: Truro Cathedral School,

CornwallChildren: TwoFav book: “Pillars of the Earth”

Ken FolletFav film: “The Good, Bad and

the Ugly” Clint Eastwood

Fav Country: South Africa – though Ihaven’t been there yet

Q1: How long with IBS? A1: 8 years – although I had originally

qualified as a marine engineer.

Q2: What is your day-to-day role at IBS?A2: As a project manager I do everything

necessary to make things happen ontime and on budget. We do an awfullot of work not just in front of thecustomer but also behind the scenes.It is good fun and always a challenge.No two days are ever the same.

Q3: What makes IBS special? A3: We are a small but efficient team of

like-minded people who are preparedto do what it takes to get the jobdone. There is a great team ethic thatresonates throughout the company.

Q4: What is your approach to your job? A4: Total conscientiousness thus giving a

good service to the customer

Q5: And what is your biggestprofessional achievement?

A5: It’s unfair to pick one out for size orcomplexity. Each job we do is

important to that particular customer,whether it is a multi-national chain ora start up. Our role is to help thembuild a more efficient business.

Q6: OK. What’s your most difficultprofessional moment?

A6: Doing a really tricky training sessionto an extremely knowledgeable groupof IT people in Canada – successfully.I appreciated how much knowledgeand experience I have accumulatedand how much you tend to take it forgranted. Probably our natural Britishreserve coming to the fore!

11

John Naismith is a POS industry

veteran who has worked in Scotland,

England and Canada. Now he

operates out of Atlanta, Georgia,

heading the IBS invasion of North

America after a spell as President of

Uniwell USA. Here is the second of

his letters from America.

A close knit senior management team helpsmake IBS special




johnlewis



Tel 01280 709 400 Fax 01280 704 315

FAT CATcafé bar

Issue 1 Summer 2005


Tootsies POS upgrade ready for expansion Fresh Italy concept marries quality and speed StockLink 5 accessible to all! A Scotsman’s Letter from America

Welcome A warm welcome to the first edition of a brand new magazine from Intelligent BusinessSystems. This is your magazine, designed to show you our impact within the fast-moving,dynamic world of POS. Helps explain our choice of name too. Impact. A title to reflect thedifference we make to multiple-site hospitality and retail businesses courtesy of our POSand enterprise management systems. Inside the pages of this and subsequent issues we’llsupply the evidence. Kicking off with our news section, Impact highlights recent IBSachievements. We then go backstage and take a closer look at the stories behind theheadlines, in one instance letting one client do all the talking. After all, clients are the bestjudges of our work. Enjoy reading the first edition. We trust it gives you plenty of food forthought. Hopefully, you’ll be asking yourself the question of how IBS can make an impacton your business in the near future.


Front cover image: Tootsies in Manchester. Impact is published on behalf of Intelligent Business Systems (St James Road, Brackley,Northants, NN13 7XY) by Creative Space Squared. If you have any comments or feedback, contact me on 01280 709 400 or [email protected]. We are always delighted to hear from you. Check out www.ibs-systems.co.uk for regular news updates from IBS.

News from IBSGeronimo Inns has unveiled its newestpub. The Tin Goose, in terminal 1 atHeathrow Airport, comes complete witha new PC POS touchscreen system, fourtouchscreen terminals and ICR touchPOS software. According to IBS projectmanager, Justin Atkinson, the PC POSsystem was selected for its hardwarerobustness to accommodate fastcustomer throughout at the world’sbusiest international airport, whichwelcomes over 63 million visitors everyyear. Key to ensuring the Tin Goose tookoff on time and without any hiccups was the forward planning carried out by IBS.Justin and his team created a graphical table and seating plan for the POS as the pubmakes extensive use of table and seat numbers for customer billing. The contract alsoincludes StockLink back office reporting to the existing StockLink centralmanagement system.

Tin Goose takes off at Heathrow

Life is a peach with a virtual head office

Sheffield’s IBS Showcase Sheffield’s premier media production andexhibition centre comprises a uniquemanaged workstation for the creativeindustries, including a 650 seat independentcinema and exhibition complex. It alsohosts numerous special events throughoutthe year with its café bar catering forconferences, festivals, functions andparties. With an extensive range of buffets,wines and menus, a flexible POSmanagement system is essential to thesuccessful running of the busy venue. IBS,after designing and developing a similarsystem for a cinema and media centre inDoncaster, won the contract to install sixUniwell touchscreen terminals andStockLink software.

IBS has a French Connection IBS has installed new POS and back officesystems for the Mountain Trading Company,which runs bars and restaurants at major skiresorts throughout the French Alps. Theproject, overseen by IBS project managersMark Bagnall and Justin Atkinson andsupported by field engineer, LawrenceBooth, included the installation of UniwellPOS terminals and kitchen printers togetherwith StockLink software, which wasprogrammed to accommodate multi-currency, multi-tax rates and various levelsof discounts.

2

Dynamic gastro pub restaurant chain, the three-year old award winning Peach PubCompany, has asked IBS to create a virtual head office. With six gastro pubs in the southand central midlands and more to comeover the coming months, the Peachmanagement team, led by HamishStoddart, wants to focus its energies in thepubs, without the distraction and expenseof running, managing and maintaining aseparate head office. Thanks to the IBSvirtual head office, the Peach team canaccess the system by logging on-line, nomatter where they are. “This system givesus the flexibility to manage a fast growingbusiness that relies on high volumes oftraffic,” said Peach Pub Company director,Hamish Stoddart.

StockLink 5 launched

IBS has launched StockLink 5, the latestedition of the best selling POS enterprisemanagement software. Based around MSWindows XP software, StockLink 5 isusing the latest enhanced drag and droptechnology to simplify use and featuresunlimited security levels. The StockLinkEnterprise version, targeted at multi-sitehospitality chains, has many new featuresand functions designed to speed-upprocesses. This includes an all-newtouchscreen drag and drop designmodule.

Neil heads managedservices teamNeil Quinn has been appointed to run themanaged service department at IBS.Formerly working at Drayton Manortheme park, Neil, 29, and his team willprovide a total managed service fromadding new suppliers or products toupdating menus and prices across eitherclient chains, brands or individual outlets.

IBS call system enhanced IBS has developed and rewritten its in-housecall support system to improve the way itdeals with customer communications. The sophisticated call system has beenwritten in-house by the IBS softwaredevelopment team using the Microsoft.net framework. As well as being fasterand more efficient, it also enables IBSengineers and customers to track theprogress of projects and jobs on-line.

IBS... in brief

IBS has upgraded Tootsies entire enterpriseand POS management system as part of a£200,000 investment for the fast-growingnational burger restaurant chain. Tootsiesre-selected IBS as part of an on-goingexpansion programme that has seen thecompany build a 24-restaurant chain in lessthan five years. There are plans to open afurther 75 over the next three years. IBSsupplied new touchscreen terminals andback office computers together with its ownStockLink back office and enterprisemanagement software. System partnerswere commissioned to install the latestcabling infrastructure at each site and amanaged broadband-based infrastructure.

See our Tootsies feature on pages 6 & 7

Full system upgrade asTootsies eyes rapid expansion

Fresh Italy deliciously fast thanks to IBS Fresh Italy, an exciting new quality foodconcept where meals are served up in lessthan two minutes from placing an order, hascommissioned IBS to help give them theclockwork precision necessary to guaranteefast delivery. IBS has designed anddeveloped a new POS system for FreshItaly, which can be used for face to facesales or distance buying via the internet.

Fresh Italy founder, Tom Allchurch, writesexclusively for Impact. See pages 8 & 9

Living Venture’s brilliant performer IBS business partner, GS Systems, hasinstalled StockLlink enterprise software aspart of its central management system forLiving Ventures, one of the rising stars of thehospitality industry. With 18 sites in majorcities in the UK, Living Ventures has wonnumerous industry awards for its LivingRooms, Mosquito and Prohibition brands.

Perfect vision at the BBC IBS has provided the BBC with EPOS and enterprise management systems for seven sitesin London, including White City, Woodlands, Television Centre, Bush House, Victoria Road,Head Office Finance and Elstree Studios, home to EastEnders and numerous other worldfamous BBC productions. IBS’s own production caters for thousands of staff and visitorsevery week and gives site managers access to cash control business sheets and stockcontrol as well as full site and head office reporting. The installation, implemented under thedirection of IBS senior project manager, Mark Bagnall, consists of the latest Uniwell DX890touchscreen terminals, thermal receipt printers, Epson impact kitchen printers andStockLink back office and head office software.

IBS about to roll out£500,000 contract fornational restaurantchain. More in nextissue of Impact!

3

STOP PRESS!

Q1: How the devil are you?

A1: Very well, thank you. I loved Wales winning the Grand Slam.A lesson here for all businesses, no matter how large orsmall, as it shows patient planning and painstakinggroundwork pays dividends.

Q2: That’s an interesting analogy. Are IBS the Welsh equivalent inthe POS world, upstaging the big boys like England?

A2: That’s not for me to say. You’ll need to ask our clients!Seriously, however, I would say we’ve been achieving greatresults at IBS by adopting the same philosophy. We’re notthe biggest player but we are one of the most successfulbecause we play to our strengths. We’ve won severalprestigious contracts (see our news section) with more in thepipeline. And we’re making great inroads beyond the UKwith our StockLink enterprise management systems, both inEurope and the USA.

Q3: That’s great news. So are you prepared to unveil the secretsbehind the IBS success story?

A3: First of all, we’re very good at listening. It is a natural startingpoint. If you go into a meeting with a pre-determined view,either you or the prospective client are going to bedisappointed.

Q4: And any other secrets?

A4: The big secret is there are no other secrets. It is about hardwork, attention to detail and sheer determination.

Q5: Surely there is more to success in a highly technologicalfield?

A5: Obviously you need the right people, the right products andright software. We have that, notably with our StockLinksoftware. Experience of the market place you operate in iscritical too. I think the fact we have evolved from corporatebackgrounds in the hospitality industry enhances ourunderstanding of the needs of our corporate clients.Irrespective of what business you’re in, you need to see whatthe client sees. It all goes back to the ability to listen andunderstand, as I mentioned earlier.

Q6: How do you mean?

A6: If you empathise with corporate issues, it is so much easierto respond to them. Anticipate the future demands andrequirements placed on the multi-site hospitality corporateworld. By appreciating their needs, we can tailor our world totheirs faster than anyone else.

Q7: And how do you do this?

A7: Well, we have to be more than just a POS company. Lookingat the big picture, we are a ‘solutions provider’. We’re notany single one thing. We’re not trying to sell a box, or aterminal, or a software package. We’re giving our clients anend result. Our client offering has to make a difference to theway clients operate and understand their businesses. Theyhave to notice an impact on the bottom line, see a tangiblereturn on their investment.

Q8: Obviously this approach is working. Could you try andencapsulate why?

A8: I think the fact we have a very high retention rate speaksvolumes. Client loyalty and winning repeat business is veryrewarding and brings about a remarkable sense ofachievement, which is shared by everyone in the company.

Q9: So what exactly is the IBS offering?

A9: Again in simple terms, it is taking hardware and softwarecombinations and installing them in multiple site hospitalitybusinesses. However, it is much more complex than this.You have to pick the right hardware to work with the mostappropriate software. You have to ensure the infrastructuregives the client speed and security. And you need to have asystem that is easy to use for everyone involved in thebusiness, from the youngsters serving at the bar to thedirectors dissecting information in order to plan for thefuture. Each link in the chain has to be happy with thesystem. That’s why we place such a great emphasis onprofessional project management. Having quality industryprofessionals overseeing installations and providing aftersales support is crucial to our overall offering. Without it, wecannot stand out from the crowd. We are not able to makethe right impact.

Q10: Elsewhere in the magazine, we notice you’ve recently added‘managed services’ to your portfolio. Was the thinkingbehind this about enhancing your overall offering?

A10: We are a service provider and we cannot afford to becomplacent. One of my major responsibilities is toconstantly look at new ways of making the day to day livesof our clients as easy as possible; hence Neil Quinn hasjoined us. Neil and his team give clients more choice as theycan control and oversee customer product files so we canupdate products and price changes in the most effectivemeans possible. This saves clients a considerable amount ofmoney in terms of employing staff and applying resources.Employing Neil is typical of our constant efforts to improvethe way we operate. His department represents a substantialinvestment, although it is one we’re more than happy tomake. In fact, we’re constantly reinvesting in IBS.

Q11: Are there any other examples?

A11: Well, we’ve recently completed rewriting our in-house callsystem to improve the way we manage communicationswith our clients. This dovetails with the internet so clients arealways kept fully in the picture. We’re also investing more inmarketing.

Q12: In what ways?

A12: We’ve got a new, improved website for a start that reflectsthe direction of the company. This sets out and establishesour credentials. It is also going to be a great way for clientsto communicate with us longer term. We’re also trying to bemore pro-active rather than re-active in terms of marketing.We’ve published Impact too as a means of keeping existingand potential clients fully in the picture about what is goingon in our world.

Q13: That’s very encouraging. What, in a nutshell, does the futurehold for the IBS?

A13: More of the same with the proviso that we’re always lookingto improve and enhance the way we do business. If we wantto make a genuine impact, there is no other way forward.What we’ve achieved to date is fantastic but it is also history.Just as I hope the Welsh coaching team will be thinkingabout how they can improve on the Grand Slam, we’ll bedoing the same for the multi-site hospitality sector.

Q14: Thanks for your time.

A14: My pleasure.

Still loving the impact game!

As a tough-tackling, no-nonsense rugby union forward,Gareth Powell always gave 100% on the pitch. He applies the same total commitment philosophy offthe field as he dedicates his energies to ensuring IBScreates the maximum possible impact in thecompetitive world of hospitality POS systems – takingtime out from his busy schedule to tackle our questions

Question time

After all, with a senior managementbackground in a top blue chip corporateenvironment prior to launching IBS, Garethwas fully aware of the need for businessesto carry out best practice procedures toensure they get a maximum return on theirinvestment.

“We may have had a track record withTootsies over five years but it makessense for the new owners to have a lookaround and see what is available in themarketplace. We do it ourselves when wepurchase from suppliers, so we wouldexpect the same from a new team ofdirectors who didn’t know us or what wecould do. We would never purchase byreputation alone and wouldn’t expect ourclients to do so either.”

“From our point of view, we were satisfiedto be placed on the tender list so wecould present our recommendations onhow to upgrade the system in line withTootsies exciting planned expansionprogramme,” said Gareth.

“Saying that, we were confident that wehad the ability as a solution provider tounderstand and fully satisfy Tootsiesrequirements.”

For Tootsies, the requirements meantmaintaining control over a fast growingbrand that will have developed to over 30restaurants by the end of January 2006.An ambitious new management team,headed by finance director Tim Woodcock,wanted to enhance the speed and scopeof its POS system as it plans to roll-outTootsies restaurants across the UK overthe next five years.

Hence the tender process to scan themarketplace for other ideas and options.

Gareth and his team relished thechallenge to provide Tootsies with such aplatform, despite knowing past effortswould not unduly influence the directors’final decision. However, their previousexperience was an immense help inconstructing their proposal.

“We are a niche POS company,specialising in the multi-site hospitalitysector, with the flexibility to work quicklyand efficiently. We also have a trackrecord with corporate clients who needkey business information fast. Names likePizza Express, Coffee Republic and theBagel Factory have benefited from ourexpertise as a solution provider, as has

Tootsies. So we were confident we wouldbring a lot to the table in a tendersituation,” said Gareth.

In fact, by describing the criteria for theproject, Tim Woodcock was also outliningthe perfect IBS system.

“The more the business grows, thegreater our need to have quick and easyaccess to every element of our operation.That in essence was what we were afterand the company that could give us thatcontrol at the right price would get thebusiness.”

“At the same time, speed of installationand specialist knowledge of the hospitalityindustry were other key factors influencingthe decision,” said Tim Woodcock, whoafter careful consideration re-selected IBSto upgrade the entire enterprise and POSmanagement system for Tootsies.

Gareth and IBS team were delighted to winthe six figure contract. As they expected,its recommendations were best suited tothe requirements of a fast expandingrestaurant enterprise. These includedfacilitating much faster communicationsand data transfer and the ability to expandand develop the system in the future toaccommodate future technology advances.

“Like we do with all our clients, we listenedto what Tim and his team wanted beforedeveloping a plan that would suit theirrequirements, now and in the future. Speedwas of the essence as was the ability forsenior managers and operational staff toaccess up-to-date information as and whenthey needed it,” said Gareth.

Spotlight

IBS creates platform for Tootsies expansionIn the cut and thrust of the modern business world, as in lifeitself, nothing can ever be taken for granted.

Nor should it be, according to Intelligent Business Systems’managing director, Gareth Powell, who was under noillusions when the new owners of the Tootsies grill-basedfamily restaurant chain said they were putting the upgrade ofits POS and back office management systems out to tender.

6 (Left) good project management is critical to the process (centre) Tootsies Basingstoke interior (right) quality food is essential to the Tootsies proposition.

IBS won the £200,000Tootsies contract in acompetitive tender

The new managementteam intends to roll-out the grill-based,24-unit familyrestaurant chainacross the UK overthe next five years

StockLink back officeand enterprisemanagement softwarehas full FTP reportingtools for seniormanagers andoperational staff, givingthem up-to-dateinformation wheneverthey want it

IBS also suppliedUniwell touchscreens,back office pcs andspecified and projectmanaged theinstallation of thecabling for thebroadband-basedinfrastructure

To achieve this each Tootsies restauranthas been fitted with extensive cabling forbroadband-based fast data transfer. IBSsupplied the latest DX890 Uniwelltouchscreen terminals and back officecomputers together with its own StockLinkback office and enterprise managementsoftware. IBS has installed extra points andcapacity to enhance and build the systemin the future to take into accountanticipated technological advances.

To facilitate fast, cost effective datatransfer, Tootsies now has greaterimmediate data management through thesystem’s internet push pollingcommunications or browser-based options.

“Our new IBS solution gives us keyknowledge, with the end of day of journalsautomatically streamed across from eachoutlet with the option of real timeinformation,” said Tootsies director, Tim Woodcock.

The contract also highlighted IBS’ ability towork to tight deadlines.

“One of the key elements of theinstallation was to ensure it was all inplace within a month. This meantcarrying out two installations per day,starting at 6am and finishing by 11am inorder to minimise trade disruption to thebusiness,” said IBS project manager,Justin Atkinson.

“We have remarkable retention rateamongst clients, although when wetendered for this business our trackrecord with Tootsies counted for nothing.It was a new management team led byTim and they were after the most costeffective system that met theirspecifications for their future anticipatedgrowth. We satisfied that criteria. And wewould like to think we would do so, nomatter who we are competing against,”commented Gareth.

7

“Like we do with all our clients, we listened to what

Tim and his team wanted before developing a plan that

would suit their requirements, now and in the future.” Gareth Powell

Service with a smile at the Trafford Centre, Manchester.

“I’ve always instinctively liked thechallenge of new business development.Even when I worked for major corporateorganisations, I’ve always enjoyed theentrepreneurial aspects the most. So really it was always on the cards that I would probably start my own companysome time. It was just a matter of when,where and exactly what I would be doing.

And as food has been a part of myprofessional background, it was alwaysgoing to be something to do with catering.Originally, the idea hit me when I wasstaying in Los Angeles on business. Itsuddenly struck me that there must beroom for an upmarket fast food conceptwhere customers can enjoy quality foodserved extremely quickly at great prices, aconcept where I could marry all thebenefits of a fast food outlet, except we’dbe serving genuinely healthy food.

With these parameters certain styles ofcuisine were obviously no go. Naturally,Indian and Mexican food would take too longto prepare for busy customers. However,Italian food, fresh Italian food, would not. Andthere, quick as a flash, was my concept. And the name came at the same time as theidea. Fresh Italy. Describing exactly what weset out to do: serve fresh Italian food todiscerning customers in either city centreLondon locations or at shopping centreswithin the M25 belt.

As with every business venture, thinking ofthe idea was the easy part. Testing itspotential before looking for seriousinvestors was a little more difficult. I likedItalian food. I thought the British did toobut I needed proof. It took three months toresearch the proposition, discover if therewas a market for it beyond my gut instinct.

Exciting new fast food concept, Fresh Italy,

has installed Intelligent Business Systems

POS and enterprise management systems.

The fast food brand, which currently

has two outlets in central London and at

Lakeside Shopping Centre, Essex, is

looking to expand its horizons.

Three new outlets are to be opened in the

coming months as part of an on-going

development plan

8

FAST FOOD GOES UPMARKET WITH FRESH ITALY Tom Allchurch, 42, gave up an immensely successful globe trotting marketing career with thelikes of Unilever and Amazon.com to launch Fresh Italy, an exciting new upmarket fast foodconcept. Here Tom (left hand page) exclusively tells IMPACT why he did it – and how IBS playeda crucial role in the development of the brand

Once I had convinced myself of thefeasibility it took another nine months todevelop it and then appoint anexperienced management team with awealth of experience of upmarket fastfood retailing.

During that time my kids – Ben, Hazel,Daniel and Zoe and wife Sue – ate reallywell as they became the self-nominatedinitial product testing team. We had hoursof fun comparing homemade pasta andrice cooking versus the Fresh Italy option.At first mine won then it levelled out –then we could not tell the difference.Bingo. An idea fertilised in LA was readyto take shape in the UK.

With a business plan drawn up andfunding in place, we were ready tolaunch Fresh Italy. Our philosophy wasto surround ourselves with the best ineach specialist area, which is how I came into contact with IBS, whowould play an integral role in thedevelopment of the concept.

Originally, I met IBS directors, Gareth andDee Powell, at an exhibition. I was lookingat my epos options. There were twochoices. Pick one of the big boys who mayor may not give me the service I needed.Or pick a smaller established player whoseambitions matched ours. There was onlyone option and it was the latter as IBSticked all the right boxes. An establishedplayer, still relatively young with thecredentials of working with the largehospitality chains we wanted to emulate.

Since then my judgement has beenproved right with Gareth and his teamputting a lot of effort into what wasalways going to be a small first order. But

the great thing is that IBS understood whatwe wanted to achieve.

With the help of IBS, we have delivered aconcept where speed is of the essence.My idea was fresh food served fast. Whichis exactly what we do, currently servingfreshly cooked pasta and rice dishescooked to order in less than two minutes. I am impressed by the efforts of the teambut want to get faster. It is the perfectionistin me and everyone else in the team.

It was clear that only by having the righttechnological platform would we be able todeliver our unique selling proposition. IBSdesigned and developed a new system forus, which is currently used for face to facesales in our city centre London or LakesideShopping Centre, Essex, stores. Thesystem has been designed to also cater fordistance buying via the internet with FreshItaly marketing deliveries to the city ofLondon for minimum orders of 15 or morepeople. That’s for the near future when welook to fine tune the concept.

For face to face sales, in-store customerorders are taken by staff and inputted toone of half a dozen Uniwell touchscreenPOS terminals in each outlet.Information is dispatched to a variety oflabel printers to identify and tag thedelicious pots of freshly prepared food.Data is also sent to a PC POS terminalto finalise, bag for collection or recallorders. It is easy to run, manage andtrain staff.

But retail is about showbiz too. To this end,IBS integrated our POS and enterprisemanagement system with large eye-catchingplasma screens. This enables customers toview orders taken, see average waiting

time per order and know when food isready for collection. The screen is alsoused for advertising and disseminatinginformation about daily specials and loyaltycards to Fresh Italy’s growing number ofrepeat customers.

As I said, retail is also entertainment andpart of the fun of the concept is trackingorders. Customers can see the averagetime taken to prepare each freshlycooked meal on the big screen. It alladds to the dynamism of Fresh Italy thatI first envisaged in LA.

Months on from that initial great idea, weare attracting regular customers who visitthree or four times a week. People like mewho have fallen in love with our totalcommitment to Italian produce. People likeme who appreciate that we only use Italianrecipes and ingredients. All our oils, pastasand risotto rice are 100% Italian.

Only time will tell how good the idea is. It isa question I cannot answer, much as I’d love to! There is a vague ‘masterplan’ totake Fresh Italy to the rest of the UK but itis very much one step at a time, likegetting the POS system spot on. Now we need to make sure we get everyother element right too. Then we’ll seewhere we go to next.

One thing is for certain, I am definitelyenjoying the buzz of Fresh Italy almost asmuch as our customers love the food.”

StockLink for everyone, from the MD to bar staff!

One of the first things we need to showwith any demonstration module is howeasy it is to use StockLink. That hasalways been one of the many key sellingpoints as StockLink has been written fromday one to be accessible to everyoneinvolved in the hospitality industry, not justIT professionals.

When the software development team werelooking at producing Version 5, its userfriendly nature was front of mind. This hasalways been a consideration, even fromthe early days when we used dos.Nowadays StockLink 5 is based aroundMicrosoft Windows XP software. As thebiggest software name bar none in theworld, most people are familiar withMicrosoft, either in the office or at home.They will certainly feel comfortable with thedrop down taskbars with newly designedicons to complement and enhance the lookand feel of StockLink.

We’ve also introduced a whole series of‘wizards’ to guide customers effortlesslythrough set-up tasks. This all reinforces themessage that StockLink is extremelyaccessible. When we go live with the demomodules on our website, we’ll be looking toillustrate this for existing and new clients.

We will also be showing how the StockLinkEnterprise version, targeted at multi-sitehospitality chains, has many new featuresand functions designed to speed-upprocesses, including the previouslymentioned all-new touchscreen drag anddrop design module.

From customer feedback since the launchof Version 5, we are finding that they areimpressed by the multi-level screens whilethey appreciate the fact that prices,condiments and cooking instructions areeasily designed and deployed. This doesnot matter whether it is for individual sites,areas, regions, countries or multicompanies, including franchises.

Again, as we want to make StockLink moreaccessible than ever before, we haveextended the reporting capability so thiscan now be configured on-line for use byoperations managers and remote workers.And we’ve also extended the number of‘League Tables’, which can also be sorted

and viewed by as many as 50 differentcolumn headings. We’ll be demonstratingthis on-line too.

As well as ease of use, compatibility withother software is important. Version 5 nowincludes POS integration with the newSharp ‘Venta Pro’ and ‘Revelation’applications as well as ‘Aloha’, ‘ICR Touch’and all Uniwell ROM based touchscreenterminals.

Of course, there is no need to wait for thedemo versions of StockLink 5 to belaunched on-line. We are more than happyto bring StockLink 5 to you.

One thing is guaranteed, whichever wayyou view Version 5, you, like all who haveseen it so far, are going to be impressed.

Managed services manager, Neil Quinn, (right) is in the process ofproducing on-line demonstration modules for StockLink 5, thelatest version of IBS’s best selling POS and enterprise managementsoftware specifically designed for multi-site hospitality businesses.Here he explains what he intends to show and why.

StockLink is anenterprise managementsystem designed anddeveloped by IBS formulti-site hospitalitychains from a dozento literally hundreds of outlets

There are threeStockLink versions:standard, professionaland enterprise

All three are updatedevery quarter by theIBS softwaredevelopment team in response to an on-going customer-consultationprogramme

Updates are free ofcharge to clients withcustomer service levelagreements

StockLink is currentlyavailable in the UK,Europe and the USA

10

John Niasmith is

a POS industry

veteran who has

worked in

Scotland, London

and Canada. Now he operates out of

Atlanta, Georgia, in the USA,

heading the IBS invasion of

North America after a spell as

President of Uniwell. Here he gives

his impressions in his first

Scotsman’s Letter from America.

One of the beauties of launching a newbrand from a position of strength isbeing able to control the roll out. With IBS and StockLink wellestablished in the UK and Europe, thereis not the same urgency to gainmassive distribution that others have to face. During my 11 years on thecontinent, America has proved to be afascinating, exciting place. A huge internal economy is driven byimmigrant workers wanting to succeedand feed the American dream.Protected by the oceans, however,Americans are instinctively insular with an innate distrust of anything notborn in the USA.

To succeed here, we have thereforedecided to focus on the top end of themarket, targeting quality resellers, whocan bring something extra to the party,and sophisticated end users, like ourlatest account gain, Smoothie King, amassive franchised health food storechain with over 360 outlets from coast tocoast, from border to border.

It is great to have Smoothie King on boardas one of our flagship clients as it is atypical American success story. FounderSteve Kuhnau started the company backin the seventies to combat his ownallergies. Since then he has seen itmushroom as spiralling demand forhealthier lifestyles has encouraged salesof health drinks, vitamins andsupplements.

We’ve spent 12 months working closelywith the people at Smoothie King, ensuringwe successfully allayed any doubts theymay have had about using a product thatoriginated outside of the USA.

To this end we adapted the front end ofStockLink to suit the specific demands ofAmerica where even a simple matter ofordering a salad can take five minutes.And I am being serious. In the UK, youhave two options with your salad. Hereyou get 20! It is a much morecomprehensive purchasing process.

Richard Leveille and his IT team atSmoothie’s head office in New Orleans havebeen impressed by what they have seenand have given us the thumbs up to roll out.

Our challenge over the coming months isto ensure the installations are as smoothas one of the high protein drinks SteveKuhnau devised – and let the rest of theAmerican hospitality industry know aboutus too. I’ll keep you posted in my nextLetter from America.


IBS Profile…

Name: Mark BagnallAge: 36Job title: Senior project managerStatus: Married to wife LizaChildren: Two children, Matthew age 3

and Holly age 6Special Interests: Cycling, fishing and following

Aston Villa FC (for my sins).Ambition: To go marlin fishing in

South AustraliaFav song: U2, With Or Without You.Fav film: The Life of Brian

(Monty Python)Fav country: Australia

Q1: What is your day to day role at IBS?A1: It is a mixed and varied role

including sales, pre-and-post saleproject management, hands oninstallation of hardware andsoftware, systems training, systemstrouble-shooting, systems support.Anything that is necessary to ensurethe smooth running of the clientrelationship.

Q2: And what projects stand out asmajor achievements?

A2: Two spring to mind. Helping tocomplete the system sale to theBBC and working closely with theirfinance department to deliver thecomplete solution from POS toIntegrated financial reporting. AlsoDrayton Manor Park was a majorpersonal achievement as I project-managed the complete installationand implementation of 80 POSterminals, across 30 locations in oneof the country’s leading theme parkattractions within a tight three-month time schedule. Hard workbut lots of fun.

Q3: What makes IBS stand out from thecrowd?

A3: Our ability to understand the exactrequirements of the customer and todeliver the complete solution

Q4: And how is this reflected in your ownapproach?

A4: I treat each project individually,listening to the customer’srequirements, agreeing a format andmanaging the project with flexibilityand continually looking to givecomplete customer satisfaction.

Q5: And does it always run smoothly?A5: Not always. Many years ago I was

running data cable in the ceiling ofClaridges Hotel in central London.While crawling on my hands andknees, I accidentally leaned on aspeaker fitted in the ceiling tiles andit crashed to the floor falling in themiddle of the restaurant. Fortunatelynobody was hurt, or had a camera!

Q6: And the future?A6: Carry on the good work. These are

exciting times at IBS and it is great tobe a part of what’s happening.

11

(Top) Popular in Denver and at over 350 otherlocations across the USA (bottom) anothersatisfied customer is all smiles.


We do it for the likes of Pizza Express, BBC, Coffee Republic,Fresh Italy, Peach Pub Co, Fat Café Bar, Geronimo Inns,Tootsies and John Lewis. And we can do it for you as well.


johnlewis



Tel 01280 709 400 Fax 01280 704 315

FAT CATcafé bar

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